A Red Rose
by Isis101
Summary: Before the Uchiha massacre, a lost girl with an unknown and mysterious past finds herself taken in by the shinobi village of Konoha. Suddenly adopted into the Uchiha clan as their responsibility, she must deal with being an outsider in the close-knit community - as well as her growing feelings for one Uchiha in particular. Until that fateful day changes everything. Itachi/OC
1. Prologue

Title: A Red Rose

Author: Isis101

Character Pairing: Itachi Uchiha and OC

Rating: M (violent content and coarse language)

Genre: Romance/General (also contains Angst)

Type: Continuous (Incomplete)

Universe: Canon

Spoilers: Will almost definitely include spoiler references to the most recent revelations: Itachi's past, the Uchiha Clan's past, the truth about the Uchiha Massacre, Madara, "Tobi", and pretty much anything else that had anything to do with the time period of the Uchiha Massacre and the Third Shinobi War. Be warned.

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters belong exclusively to Masashi Kishimoto and I do not profit from this work. Amaya belongs to me though, as she is my character. Please do not steal her.

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): First, let me apologize for the **_**super**_** long wait for this. I honestly didn't expect it to take me this long. All I can say is: summer school and a full time work load over the summers, overload courses and part time work during the school year, my family moving to the middle of nowhere with extremely limited internet access (10 GB/per month shared by 6 people), my sister moving across the country, and just recently having to put my cat of 15 years to sleep have all hit me hard. But now I am a university graduate and, although I am working 48+ hours/week and will be going back to school again in September, I am slowly reviving my old works.**

**It will still be a slow process as I work to get everything on its feet, but it should also be steady, and I hope to be able to provide you all with regular posts starting shortly. In the meantime, here is the long awaited revised edition of 'A Red Rose' for you to enjoy while I outline the rest of it. You can also expect another chapter with some new material soon as it is already mostly finished with only a few pages to go.**

**As for the revision itself, essentially I'm asking you re-read everything. This is due to **_**massive**_** editing. I significantly altered important sections of this story that will affect the plot at large. So anyone who has already read 'A Red Rose', please, please, please re-read it. (Also, it's been so long that you may have forgotten some stuff. I know that happens to me sometimes. :P )**

**For those of you who are new readers, please enjoy! :)**

**A Red Rose  
****Prologue**

My name is unimportant so I will not bother with introductions. I will, however, tell you this: my story; my legacy; my failures, my so-called-life. I share this because it is the truth – something which has become scarce in recent times – and I hope this record will serve to set some things right in the future. I write this in an effort to make the truth known to those who still believe all the lies which they have been told about the day that changed Konoha forever and the boy that set it in motion. But enough about the future. Now is the time to focus on the past – both my past and his.

I am an orphan and an honorary Uchiha. As of now, I am eighteen years old and still have not had a _true_ lover in that sense of the word. Sure there were the odd admirers that tried to get closer to me but they all gave up eventually. One can only live with rejection for so long. Why, you ask? It is a long story so you might want to get comfortable. It all began when I was about twelve years old, though I still don't know my exact age at the time.

It was at this time that my kekkei genkai activated itself, though I didn't know it yet. You may think from my last name that I developed the Sharingan. Ha! I wish! No, I am not an Uchiha by blood. I wish I was, but it seems that was not meant to be. I don't know what I am or where I'm from. Heck, I don't even know _who _I am. I cannot remember anything preceding the day I got that special ability.

You might be wondering what the point of this story is if I don't find out who I am throughout it, but you must understand that that is not the point of this tale. This is a story about truth and love and trust, and how I come to learn all three in a little village called Konoha. Here you will learn the truth for yourself, whether you chose to believe it or not.

I suppose I will begin where my memory begins: the day I woke up lost and alone with no history to speak of.

It was a bright, sunny day with large, puffy clouds in the sky. The first thing I can recall is awakening to the sun shining warmly on my face. It was about mid afternoon and, seeing as how I couldn't remember anything, I didn't know how long I had been laying there. I remember sitting up and looking around in curiosity. Even without my memories everything seemed different, odd, out of place. Like it wasn't what I was used to. This sun was not my sun, too bright, too hot. This grass was not the kind that I had ever run with bare feet over simply for the pleasure of it. It was too soft to the touch, to vibrant a green. It was wrong, all wrong. I didn't know why, it just was.

You don't really know what it's like to lose your memories nor can you possibly predict your reaction. I suppose that also depends on the circumstances you wake up to. Me, I just sat for a few minutes in what I can only presume was shock, trying to accept that I had no recollections of anything, ever. Once I had gotten that out of my system, I did what any rational person would do; I stood up, looked around at my surroundings, and tried to somehow figure out where I was with no memories whatsoever.

Impossible, I know, but I had to try. I was in some sort of clearing in what seemed to be a fairly large forest considering that I was surrounded by trees with no sign of it ending from what I could see. To me, it was like my birthday and I ended up guessing twelve because it seemed like the right age and it felt right, hence, my twelfth birthday. I relied a lot on my intuition in those days. In a way, I still do.

Deciding to find someone in the hopes that they would know me, I started off in search of civilization. How was I supposed to know I was heading in the opposite direction of the village? How was I expected to fathom that I was in serious and immediate danger because of heading that way? How in the world could I have possibly foresaw that I would end up meeting the boy who would change my life so drastically by boldly marching off into the depths of an unknown wood? I don't know, but even if I had, I _do_ know that I still would have gone.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 1

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 1**

Unaware of what was looming ahead in the near future, I walked somewhat calmly through the trees that grew thick around the little clearing I had woken up in. Not an easy feat I must tell you. I was actually surprised at how calm I was for someone who had just lost all their memories. Maybe the shock was just waiting to set in until the time when it could do the most damage. Shock seemed to have a way of doing that, I knew. Somehow.

As the sun disappeared behind the trees and the sky grew dim, I realized that I was tired and hungry and that if I didn't find shelter soon I would be forced to sleep outside on the cold, unforgiving ground with nothing but the clothes on my back. This consisted of a filmy, violet coloured half-length kimono with a sakura blossom pattern. The obi was the same light pink as the blossoms and every time breeze blew cold against my legs I could bitterly tell that they were bare. Luckily, I at least had sandals on rather than being barefoot in the woods. The kimono was beautiful, but definitely not the best choice for camping in.

Folding my arms in their long sleeves in front of me in the hopes of warding off the encroaching cold, I began to search for shelter. At this point, any form of life would have been welcome and I desperately hoped for such an occurrence. The silence was driving me crazy. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for and I soon knew exactly what that meant.

My wish came true in the form of eight men, all of them were grinning. I was not. I only saw the first one when he stepped out of the trees in front of me and by the time I guessed that his intentions may not be in my favour, I was surrounded. I was surprised at their stealth. I didn't know why but I felt as though I should have known all along that they were there. With no memories to go on, all I had left were my instincts and I trusted them completely.

They were all wearing the same weird outfit. Their faces were covered with cloth masks (not that I would have known who they were) and they sported headbands with what looked like a music note engraved on the metal part. Around their waists were large purple bows.

The name _shinobi_ appeared in my mind from the darkness of my memories along with an intense and immediate sense of danger.

The men stepped closer, completely enclosing me as I glanced around frantically, looking for a chance to escape. Smirking now, the first man, who appeared to be their leader, spoke.

"Now what would a pretty young thing like you be doing out in the big, bad woods alone at night?"

Quickly thinking it over, I decided that I would take my chances answering him back. Who knew, maybe they just looked creepy and were actually really nice guys.

"Actually," I began, "in case you haven't noticed, the sun is still setting so it's not quite night yet, though I could use your help to get to the nearest village, if you don't mind."

The men shared looks that sent foreboding chills down my spine.

"So you're lost?" the leader asked. In fact, he sounded almost hopeful.

"Uh…" Shit, I thought. What the hell was I going to do now?

"I don't believe what I am doing here is any of your damn business," I said defensively.

Unfortunately, the masked man didn't seem to appreciate the concept of privacy, or personal space, because he scowled and stepped closer.

Oh, shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. As a side note, I discovered that swearing helped to keep me focused.

When I instinctively took a step back from the man's advance, his smirk returned and I mentally cursed myself for not standing my ground. Seeing as I was outnumbered eight to one with nowhere to retreat to and, as far as I knew, no one nearby, I decided to do what any sane girl would do in a situation like this. I took a deep breath and I screamed.

Apparently, I had a very loud scream for every man covered his ears in an attempt to block it out; that or each of them had very sensitive hearing (how close the guess was to the truth, I would only learn later). I only hoped my scream was loud enough to attract some attention or at least scare them off.

When I stopped for a second to catch my breath, an unfortunate necessity, one of the men to my right lunged at me in an obvious effort to stop me from screaming again. I wasn't aware of how I did it, but I ended up dodging him and he landed on one of his team mates opposite him.

Seeing this as my chance to escape, I quickly dashed toward the gap the man had left in their once tight circle. As I rushed forward underneath reaching arms, I thought for a moment that I might get free. I realized at that moment that fate has a cruel sense of humour when right after I thought that, I felt someone grab a handful of my waist-length hair which had been flying out behind me as I ran. I yelped in pain as several strands were cruelly ripped from my scalp.

The leader yanked me to the ground by my hair, forcing me to my knees, and whispered harshly in my ear. "You better keep quiet, girl, or I'll give you to my men and let them have their way with you. They'd enjoy it immensely but I doubt you will."

I clenched my hands into fists to stop them from shaking in fear. I was scared. Hell, I was terrified. If you were alone in the middle of a forest with eight men who seemed to enjoy making you squirm and absolutely no memories whatsoever, you would be too. But I wasn't about to let them know that.

"Eight on one is hardly fair. A real man wouldn't need seven others to help him take down one helpless little girl."

I mentally congratulated myself when I didn't make a sound as he viciously yanked my hair back a second time.

"Got some attitude in her, ne?" He chuckled and a few of the men joined in. "Our village could use a girl like you, and by the looks of you, you'll likely fill out quite nicely in a few years."

I seriously considered giving in and letting them take me to this village as long as they didn't try anything. If I got to a village someone might recognize me and tell me who I was. Thankfully, I wasn't that desperate – yet – so, in an act of pure immaturity, I stuck out my tongue at their leader.

I had expected him to get mad; I had expected him to maybe be offended; anything that might cause him to make a mistake. I did not expect him to burst out laughing. Well, that would work too, I supposed.

"What did I tell you, boys? These Konoha chicks really do have spirit." _Konoha?_ "Maybe we should teach her some discipline."

"But Torao-sensei, we have a mission to complete." _Mission?_ "That mission takes priority over personal…pleasure." _Pleasure! Shit._

The leader, now identified as Torao, snorted at the man to his right who had spoken. "The mission will get done. Besides, I don't plan on doing anything to her just yet. Give her a few years to fill out before we use her, I say." He glared around at his men as if daring them to argue.

As this conversation went on, I felt something wet fall on my cheek. Glancing up while trying to remain inconspicuous, I took note of the ominous, dark clouds filling up the sky, darkening it even more then before. I figured now would be as good a time as any to try to escape. Unfortunately, in this thin, unlined, and unnecessarily short kimono, I knew I had no weapons.

Spotting my subtle glance and noticing the rain clouds as well, one of the other men spoke up. "We should find shelter. It's going to rain."

Torao looked up as well and grimaced. Obviously, he was disappointed that his fun was going to be ruined._ I_, on the other hand, was very, very grateful.

"Alright then," he started, grabbing me by the arm with his free hand and pulling me roughly back into a standing position. "Let's head back to camp. Raiden, you hide our trail. The rain will wash it away soon enough but we can't take any chances now that we have a captive."

The man who had told him about the clouds and impending rain nodded and promptly disappeared into the forest. One less person to escape from. Lucky me.

"I'll carry the girl."

"What!" I couldn't help myself as fear and shock chose this time to finally take over and I began to struggle frantically in his grasp.

"Don't be afraid, girly," he said, grinning at me. "We're not going to hurt you if you co-operate."

"Oh, that's very comforting," I muttered, but I ceased my struggles... for the moment.

Then the rain started. It didn't start slowly like most storms; it was sudden and it was fierce like the sky had suddenly opened its floodgates directly above us. Torao briefly released my hair as he made to grab me around the waist for a more secure hold.

Using skills I hadn't known I had, I spun around, kneed him in crotch – _hard_ – and flipped backwards out of his reach when he released my arm as well, in favour of his abused genitals. Obviously shocked, the other men stared at me through the rain as though they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Serves you right," I yelled through the noise of the storm as their leader fell to his knees in pain.

"Is she a kunoichi?" one of the men asked the man beside him. Again the name seemed familiar, but I didn't have a chance to wonder what he meant when Torao pulled out a sharp, triangular-shaped metal weapon with a handle and ring on the end, and lunged at me in a fit of rage. Somehow, I knew that the weapon was a kunai. I dodged quickly enough to avoid a normal blow but I hadn't taken into account that he was quick too.

The weapon sliced through the kimono and the side of my left arm before I had a chance to dodge it again. It felt like a line of fire along my arm. I didn't look but I knew from the warm gush that my blood was flowing freely to the wet ground, mixing with the rainwater. The pain was intense. I forced myself to ignore it, to block the pain from my mind so I wouldn't be distracted. Mostly I kept myself from even briefly glancing at the wound. Something inside me told me that that would be a bad idea.

I watched in horror as Torao lunged again. I didn't know what skills I had, much less how to use them; I had been working on instinct alone before. Luckily, none of the other men moved to join their leader but neither did they try to stop him.

I froze. There was no way to dodge with opponents on all sides and no way to stop him with abilities I didn't know if I had, so I did the only thing I could think of. I screwed my eyes shut, threw my arms out in front of me defensively, and willed a miracle to occur.

The effects were immediate. A burning light lit up the tiny part of the forest in which we were situated. Of course, I had my eyes closed the whole time so I only saw the glow of it from behind the thin membrane of my eyelids and not the colour of the light itself. All the same, it appeared intensely bright and seemed to originate from directly in front of me, my hands, to be exact.

Simultaneously, it felt as though there was something flowing through me and out my hands, leaving a tingling feeling in its wake. It was strange and familiar at the same time, as though it was a part of me long forgotten or lying dormant inside me. I could feel the path it made from the point where my heart would be, through my chest on both sides, down my arms, and into my hands. Where this strange feeling went after that, I had no idea.

I felt it die down on its own after a few seconds and hesitantly opened my eyes when the strange light faded away as well. Upon doing so, they immediately widened in surprise and disbelief.

Starting about a foot from my feet and ending about thirty feet away was a path of destruction. It looked as though a mini-tornado had struck right there, travelled thirty feet, and then disappeared. Any trees along the path were up rooted and lying haphazardly around the newly formed clearing along with sticks, branches, rocks, and anything else that happened to be in the way – including the men.

They were moving, so they weren't dead and I wasn't going give them a chance to recover as I about-faced and bolted in the opposite direction. Running as though my life depended on it – which it probably did – I dodged trees and branches that tore my now soaked and ragged-looking kimono and left scratches and cuts all over my quite exposed skin. I didn't stop for a good fifteen minutes until I was forced to due to lack of oxygen.

Completely exhausted and feeling suddenly drained of most of my energy, I collapsed onto the ground taking gasping breaths as I tried to re-inflate my burning lungs. It was then that I finally broke down. Heaving sobs wrenched themselves from my body as I shuddered in the rain and the cold.

It hit me like a wave, tossing me around and ultimately drowning me. I was alone. Completely, totally, and utterly alone. I didn't know anything. I couldn't remember anything and I was alone in a world that seemed so alien to me. Curling up into myself I continued to cry until my exhaustion finally overcame me and I slipped into blessed unconsciousness.

_Scared. Alone. Frightened._

"_Mommy?"_

_I walked down the dark halls of the complex, glancing in every room I passed. There were windows but they were shuttered against any light the moon and stars may have offered. So I continued in the dark, the desperation not allowing me to stop and light one of the torches lining the walls, the way I had seen Mommy do every night._

"_Mommy, where are you?"_

_Fear made my young, high voice thicken and crack. Tears, unshed, welled up in my eyes. Misery would be plain on my face, the face of a very young, little girl, as I reached the end of the hallway._

"_Mommy!"_

_The patter of my bare little feet on the wooden floor increased as I darted towards the last room. A tiny gasp was wrenched from my mouth as I threw the doors open and beheld what was inside._

I sat up, gasping for air. Freezing rain poured down my face. It was numbing – the cold and the rain. I lifted my face to it as I recalled what I had been dreaming and realized that hot tears were running down my cheeks as well, melding with the rain. The little girl, she was me, yet was strangely different. I could see what she saw, feel what she felt, yet I was not a part of what was happening and I had no control over it, and, for some reason, that scared me.

Could it have been a memory? Was it just a dream or something more? I didn't know what to think. The cold had numbed my body while I slept but now I could feel the stiffness returning – and the dream slipping away.

I desperately tried to grasp the dream and pull it back to the front of my mind before it could fall into the black abyss that was my memories.

A young girl. Me?

Scared.

Searching.

Mother.

Running.

Doors.

Emptiness.

There had been nothing behind that door. It had been empty of people and furniture. It had looked as though the people who had been living there had suddenly packed up every belonging and left. It was devoid of life – of hope.

It had been frightening. Even more than the dark or the searching had been. Those were things I could deal with. But, the girl had felt like I did now. Abandoned.

Dragging myself out of those depressing thoughts, I tried to lift my head, which felt like a twenty pound brick, to get a notion as to where I had gotten to this time. It wouldn't do to fall back down into anguish and dwelling on that dream wasn't going to help. I filed what I remembered away for later perusal.

Not able to see much but grass and dirt from my position on the ground, I forced my still drained body to push itself off the sodden soil. The first time I tried, my hands slipped and I ended up with a face full of mud. The second time I managed to get up onto my elbows.

The cut on my arm gave a spasm of agony which nearly brought me back down. I had forgotten about the cut. I moved my head to access the damage, but once again, that nagging feeling stopped me. For now, I would ignore it. As much as I could ignore gut-wrenching pain shooting up my arm anyway.

From my new vantage point, I could see that I had ended up in another little clearing. I couldn't see very far into the dense forest but I could hear sounds not far away – voices. From the sound of it there were quite a few but they were not quite close enough to discern exactly how many. The sky was black with the cover of night and the receding storm clouds added a greyish tinge from the moon.

Afraid that it was the men from before, if they had managed to survive, I didn't say anything. I wasn't about to fall into another trap that could very well get me killed. Thinking back – was it really only a few hours? – I tried to remember what had happened, but it all seemed so fuzzy. The only thing I could remember with any clarity was the feeling that had come with the light.

It had been strange – a mixture of warmth and comfort but with an underlying feeling of power. It had felt… natural, as though it had been a part of me my entire life. Maybe it had? There was no way I would be able to know until I got my memories back, if I ever did... No, I couldn't think like that. I had to keep hoping so I wouldn't break under the paralyzing despair that threatened to overwhelm me every second I was alone with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

I forcibly turned my attention back to the world around me. The voices had stopped and the silence pressed down on me like a weight. Despite the incident that had happened before, I couldn't help wondering if the people I had heard could have helped me. The despair began creeping into my heart once again as I lay shivering in the rain. Had I been shivering this entire time? It was hard to concentrate. I must have been more tired than I had thought. The twigs and stones were digging into my arms and my shoulders were aching from the strain of holding up my body for so long. My stomach growled at me, reminding me that I hadn't eaten since who knew how long. My arm – no, I wouldn't even think about it.

A barely perceptible rustle to my left drew my gaze to the tree line once again. I wasn't about to let anything sneak up on me this time. Tying to sharpen my focus, I fixed a hard gaze in the general direction of the sound. The more I tried to concentrate the more I realized that I could feel something, sense something.

A presence. Some king of energy.

It was strong: a kind of cold, merciless strong. It was the kind of strong that didn't hesitate before stopping your heart cold. I shivered in sudden fear. I didn't know how I could feel that someone was there or even if I should trust this instinct but I had no other choice, nothing else to rely on, and I had trusted them before with somewhat beneficial results. I waited with bated breath for the person to reveal him- or herself. Please let it be a her, I silently begged. No more men, please.

The minutes passed slowly, achingly slowly, and the pain in my arm only intensified as the time went by. The stranger still hadn't moved. Neither had I. Eventually, after what I assumed was a good ten minutes, my eyelids became heavier and heavier until it was too much of an effort to hold them up any longer. My head nodded toward the ground. The pain was becoming too much to handle and it was trying to force me into unconsciousness. My total exhaustion wasn't helping any either.

Trying to keep myself awake, I mumbled under my breath, "This is getting ridiculous."

"Indeed."

Startled, I jumped, exhaustion temporarily vanishing in a surge of adrenaline. My eyes locked onto a figure barely visible through the trees. I couldn't see any details because of the dark shadows surrounding the stranger, but the person's voice was clearly masculine, and thankfully, unfamiliar. Another man I didn't know. _Joy._

"What do you want?" Better to find out now then later, I thought. Maybe I would actually have a chance. A part of me argued that I could barely stand up, let alone run away.

"I should ask you the same thing," the stranger said, not moving an inch.

"Then why don't you." Sarcasm leaked into my voice. I couldn't help it. The superiority in that voice just called me to contradict it.

"You're not exactly in a position to be acting tough." His voice was mocking and slightly amused. I didn't know then that I would come to cherish that tone of amusement and how rare it was. At the time, all I could think about was getting out of that mess and finding out who I was.

"Really?" I replied unthinkingly. "Because, frankly, I couldn't care less what position I'm in. I'm not going to let some fucking stranger walk all over me and I sure as hell am not going to bow down and accept my fate when I don't even know who or where I am!"

That seemed to shake him up, at least as much as possible with his distant attitude. I couldn't see his face of course but the silence that came after my announcement was proof enough, as was his reply.

"You don't know who you are?" he asked, demonstrating a sudden curiosity that hadn't been there before.

"I have no idea," I confirmed. "I can't remember anything before a few hours ago." Why was I spilling my guts to a complete stranger? Maybe it was because I was growing desperate and was ready to cling to any hope of regaining my past. Maybe it was because he hadn't made a threatening move toward me so far that I felt like I could open up to him, given the circumstances.

The silence came again, but I wasn't going anywhere. Not for a while, anyway.

"So, you don't know anything about where you came from or where your loyalties lie?"

_Loyalties?_

"Like I said, I don't remember anything." The dream surfaced in my mind but I quickly shoved it back down. I couldn't let anything distract me if I had a chance to get to civilization. Besides, I couldn't really call that _remembering_, per se; it could have been just a figment of an overactive imagination resulting from exhaustion and mental instability. Maybe I was simply losing it, falling into the realm of insanity.

The stranger spoke again, "Do you recognize the name Konoha?"

_Konoha again?_

"Um, no, not personally, but I heard some men mention it…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say. How about, 'Oh, yeah, they mentioned it, and then they were blasted away by some freaky light that I know nothing about even though I think it came out of me'? Yep, that would go over well.

"Who?" the stranger demanded. Why did he make it sound like an urgent matter? Was it important?

"I don't know who!" I responded angrily. Hadn't I just said that I had lost my memories? I suddenly felt the exhaustion come back in a rush. "Look, these guys just suddenly appeared around me and attacked me. While I was being held _captive_," I stressed, "their leader ended up mentioning Konoha. One of them also mentioned something about a mission that they had to do, but that guy in charge… he wanted to take me back to wherever they came from first." I winced. The memory wasn't exactly a pleasant one even though it had ended better than it could have.

Another short silence greeted my explanation.

"Did they say anything else about the mission?" the stranger asked.

I groaned in frustration as I rested my forehead against the ground and closed my eyes. "I'm not answering another question until you come out of those trees and prove you're not going to try to take advantage of me too. I've had just about enough of that for one night, thank you very much."

Another silent pause. Well, that was growing frustrating.

I waited and listened for another few moments before he moved. I didn't hear him; he was completely silent and I wouldn't have known that he had moved at all if I hadn't sensed him. I tensed reflexively. I didn't know what to expect and I was sick and tired of being scared. Summoning what little strength I had left, I lifted my head to look at the mysterious man who had stumbled upon me in this pitiful state.

The first thing I noticed was that he wasn't a man as I had first assumed. He was a boy, a startlingly handsome boy. If I had to guess, I would have said that he was the same age as me or close to. The second thing I noticed was the colour of his eyes. They were a deep charcoal black that seemed to draw my own eyes toward them instinctively. They were mesmerizing, and they were blank.

He was standing about a foot away from the edge of the forest, and by the way he held himself, I could tell that he wouldn't back down easily if it came to a fight. Those black, emotionless eyes stared straight into mine and I could only stare openly back. He was devilishly handsome, dark and mysterious with an aura of hidden secrets.

He had long, black hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck with loose strands falling down at the sides of his face. His face was purely aristocratic and he had slight shadows running along his cheekbones from his eyes that accentuated it. Oh, and his eyes – did I mention his eyes? They were slanted at just the right angle to make him look dangerously sexy and completely masculine at the same time. I was lucky I didn't start drooling right then and there. Damn, I was ogling, wasn't I?

"First, I'm not about to prove anything because I cannot trust you," he said.

I started at his words and at first I didn't grasp the meaning. "What—"

"Second, you will come with me." His eyes narrowed into a chilling glare. "That is an order."

My jaw dropped. Then I got over my shock and quickly closed it again. My eyes narrowed and I opened my mouth to tell him just what I thought of his _orders_ and where he could shove them, when three more people appeared beside him, two on his left and one on his right. These _were_ men.

Frantically, I attempted to force myself to stand despite the protests of my aching body. When I nearly fell back over, I settled for simply kneeling on the ground. By this time, the rain that had been pouring down steadily had lessened to a light drizzle. I was already soaked, but at least the softer rain would not impede my sight and hearing as much as the downpour had. So, with my knees half sunk into mud, I faced the new arrivals.

"Is this the one who caused all that damage back there?" the farthest one on the left, his face hidden behind a porcelain mask, asked as he stepped forward, still slightly behind the boy who had found me.

He was dressed the same as the boy with a black shirt under a gray vest and a sword strapped to his back. He also wore arm and leg guards, as did the rest of them. They also had the same headband. I hadn't noticed that before as preoccupied as I had been with the boy's face. The marks on the headbands were different from the men I had come across earlier but it was still the same style and that gave me enough reason to become wary.

"Damage?" I questioned.

"Yeah," the one on the right spoke up. I could just tell he was smirking behind his mask. "Someone blasted their way through some Sound Shinobi and wiped out everything else around in the process."

"Must have been one hell of a fight," the final man commented. Well, obviously they weren't friends with the men from before – a small relief.

"Oh," I smiled weakly. "You mean _that_." There was no point in denying it. I only hoped it would make them cautious enough to leave me alone if they knew what I could do; I had already noticed that they were still keeping their distance.

They all turned to look at me again when I responded – except the boy, of course. He had never looked away. Obviously, they wanted an explanation.

"Yeah, well… It was kind of an accident. I didn't do it on purpose. It just… happened." If exhaustion hadn't been preventing me from moving my shoulders, I would have shrugged.

"Care to expand on that," the boy, who was obviously younger than the rest of them by far, intoned. I desperately wanted to cross my arms in defiance at this point.

"Like I said, I'm not saying anything until I get some answers myself." I was not budging on this. No more information freebies.

Our eyes locked once again but this time I was a little more prepared. Even so, I could still feel the intensity of his gaze. The man on the right sighed and put his hand on the younger one's shoulder.

"We should bring her back to Konoha, what do you say?"

"Konoha this, Konoha that. What the hell is this _Konoha_ anyways?" I fumed. I was tired and cold, and all I wanted was some answers and understanding.

They all looked at me like I was insane – except the boy with the cold, dark eyes.

I opened my mouth to try and explain when a certain someone beat me to it.

"She lost her memories. She says she can't remember anything before a few hours ago."

The glare that I sent the boy should have had him backing away in fear, yet he didn't even seem fazed.

"She's weak, or at least untrained. She's not a threat."

That's_ it!_ I fiercely pushed myself off the ground, onto my feet-

"Now, hold on a-"

-and promptly fell flat on my back.

"Ow…" I moaned, rolling over onto the side with my uninjured arm, which I still was instinctively avoiding. "When will this day end?"

"Soon," the boy said, his voice barely audible.

I mistakenly looked up at the sound of that voice, and saw only red and swirling black before unconsciousness took me.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 2

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 2**

"You didn't have to use the Sharingan on her, Itachi."

"It was necessary."

"Oh, _really_? It didn't look like she could have put up much of a fight to me. You said yourself that she wasn't a threat."

Voices pounded in my head, forcibly dragging me from the blissful darkness that I had been floating in. I tried to block out the intruding sounds but they ruthlessly kept me from slipping back into unconsciousness and continued to pester my abused mind with confusing chatter. My instincts told me that I wasn't in any immediate danger so all I wanted to do was continue to sleep.

"It allowed her to rest," the second voice said. Mmm, rest is nice. "If I hadn't used it she would have refused to fall asleep in our presence."

I had to argue with that. If the voices would have just shut up, I could have fallen asleep right then and there, presence or no presence.

Someone sighed.

The first voice responded to the other. "You know this is why you don't have a girlfriend, right?" it said humorously. "You just do whatever you think is best without considering what others might think."

"Because what I do is always right."

"Well, I can't really argue with you there. Though I still say that a lot of that is just luck."

"Luck has nothing to do with it and you know it."

Whatever the hell that was about I didn't really care. There was a silent pause that I was grateful for, but before I could drift off once again, the voices continued with another sigh.

"I'm going to see if there's any news about her origins from the Hokage," the first voice said.

"Hn."

There was the sound of footsteps across a wooden floor, a door opening and closing, then silence again. Still tired, I finally began to return to the realm of sleep and was once again interrupted in my search for rest. It seemed I wouldn't be able to escape reality that easily.

"You're awake," the second voice said; I assumed it was addressing me. I frowned. That voice was intruding on my sleep. No matter how pleasant it was to listen to, I needed my beauty sleep.

"Can't you just let me sleep," I mumbled as a response into the pillow under my head.

"No," the voice replied firmly.

Groaning, I pried my heavy eyelids open. I was staring at a white wall. I turned my head, shifted my body over to the other side, and promptly hissed as pain shot through my arm. I had leaned on the wound that I had forgotten was there. Then the pain caused all of the few memories I had to come rushing back to me. A forest. Men attacking. Hot boy. Well, damn. At least I had an inkling of who it was I was talking to now. I should have recognized that sardonic tone right away.

"You should stay on your other side. You'll aggravate the cut on your arm."

No, duh. Thanks so much for that, I thought bitterly. Rolling back over, I sat up and realized that most of my strength had returned while I had slept. Reaching up to my throbbing arm, I gave it a hesitant prodding with my finger. It didn't feel as bad as before, but it still hurt like hell when I touched it. Though I had refused to look at it before, I had no problem doing so now. The bandages that covered it looked fresh and white. My scraps and cuts, I noticed, had already disappeared. Whether that was strange or not for them to heal overnight, I had no idea. After all, I had nothing to compare it to.

"At the rate you've been healing, your arm should be completely healed by tomorrow." Holy shit, was this guy psychic?

I twisted my body to look over my shoulder at the boy I had almost forgotten was still in the room, probably on purpose. Of course, I immediately recognized the boy from before. Who could forget that handsome visage?

I remembered his words to whoever had been in the room a minute before.

_You didn't have to use the Sharingan on her, Itachi._

The word 'Sharingan' stood out as I recalled the red and black that I had seen before passing out. I had no idea what it meant, but I now knew that that boy had been the one to knock me out. Also, I had learned the boy's name: Itachi; not to mention that he was currently single, but that wasn't important – or so I claimed. Berating myself for thinking such unhelpful thoughts, I filed those tiny tidbits away with the rest of my newfound knowledge and turned my attention to the room I had found myself in.

I was in a plain hospital-like room with white-washed walls, a bed, a bedside table, and a single window. There was a chair in the corner of the room but the boy had obviously ignored it in favour of leaning against the wall near the door in a manner that could only be described as overly confident.

"Is that normal?" I asked, referring to my apparently accelerated healing, genuinely curious.

Itachi hesitated; a slight frown marred his perfect aristocratic features, accentuating the shadows running from his eyes. "Normally a person would need a medic-nin to heal that quickly."

"Oh." What else was I supposed to say? It wasn't like I could explain my abnormally fast healing anyways. And who exactly were medic-nins? Another kind of familiar, yet unexplained, name to add to my growing collection. Now, I decided, would be as good a time as any to get some answers. I opened my mouth to ask the first of many questions.

Aniki!"

The sudden shout startled me, making me jerk in surprise at the sound. My eyes darted toward the door beside Itachi as it burst open to reveal a miniature version of Itachi, except with shorter hair that spiked up in the back. He looked to be about six or seven, and his hair was also more of a midnight blue then Itachi's black, with bangs framing his face like the older boy, who was looking slightly annoyed at the interruption.

"Aniki! You're back!" the child yelled. He looked as though he was about to jump on the older boy before he noticed me. By this time the mini-Itachi was already standing fairly close to me.

"Who's that, aniki?" He looked at me with large, dark eyes and such a cute expression of curiosity on his face that I couldn't help it.

"Hi there," I said, smiling widely at the cute kid. I reached out to give him a quick pat on his cute head but the little boy's reaction was to look at my hand like it was going to eat him and promptly run behind his older brother's legs. Once he was safely tucked away behind his brother he peeked at me, still curious like most children at that age. Blood crept up into my cheeks as I smiled sheepishly.

"Uh... I'm sorry?" I said quickly, confused.

"You seem to have your energy back," Itachi said, his tone not revealing whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, or anything at all for that matter.

"Yeah, I guess," I muttered. I sat back down on the side of the bed and looked down at myself. I was wearing a plain white yukata and I could see the bruises that were the only marks left that still had yet to fade on my arms and legs. They must have thrown out the kimono I had been wearing. It definitely hadn't been in the best of shape the last time I had worn it.

"Do you remember anything yet?" Itachi's probing question caught me off guard and the pain it caused was a shock to my still reeling mind.

"No. Nothing," I whispered almost inaudibly. I stared at the ground as I answered so Itachi couldn't see as tears welled up in my eyes from the reminder of my lack of memories. It physically hurt, not knowing who I was. I knew I wouldn't be able to hold the tears back for long.

"Are you crying?" The young voice sounded timid and shy. I plastered a fake smile on my face as I dared to look up.

"No," I said, my voice only slightly breaking. "I'm just a little sad, that's all." Losing one's memories can do that to you, I added silently.

"Oh," the little one said from behind his brother. "Why?"

A small, sad but genuine smile found its way onto my lips at the young child's innocent curiosity.

"She lost her memory."

And there it died a quick death.

The child glanced up at his brother with a shocked expression. "How?"

I scowled at my _rescuer_.

"If I knew, I wouldn't have lost my memories, now would I?" I replied gently before Itachi could come up with another caustic answer.

The little boy's cherubic face turned back to me. "So, you don't know who you are?"

"No," I answered. "But I'm going to find out." With that claim, a fierce determination suddenly flowed through me with a heady potency. I _would_ find out, I decided. I refused to live my life with the darkness of unknown memories haunting me at every turn. I saw Itachi's eyes flicker to me from the corner of my eye as I smiled at the younger one.

"You want to help me?" I offered.

His young eyes widened in excitement as all children's eyes did when they felt like they were included in something. Then he smiled. It was the cutest smile.

"Okay," he said simply.

And just like that, I had won his trust. If I could only win his older brother over with a few smiles I might get some real answers, I thought. Though, looking at him, I knew he wasn't going to be so easily charmed. His entire body radiated danger and distrust. Those dark, brooding eyes were hard and troubled. I got the sense that he was going through a hard time himself and would not welcome any kind of attempt at friendship from a stranger. I made a silent wish that the person he had been talking with before I was fully conscious would be more inclined to kindness.

"What's your name?" I asked Itachi's brother softly. I would need to know his name if we were going to be friends, the only one I seemed to have at the moment.

"Sasuke," he answered without hesitation. I smiled. It seemed that Sasuke was quickly losing his nervousness around me.

He continued, "-and this is my aniki, Itachi." I nodded, having already known that, but I wouldn't spoil the obvious pleasure he took in introducing his brother. It amused me that he automatically assumed that Itachi hadn't already introduced himself, which he hadn't. Out of curiosity, I looked up at said brother to see how he was taking Sasuke's friendliness toward me and I noticed the tell-tale signs of annoyance flashing in his eyes.

Oh, get over it, I thought. This is how a person is supposed to react, any decent person, anyway.

"You were the one that found me," I said to Itachi. I was stating the obvious, but I felt that Itachi needed a little reminder that he was essentially the only person I knew in this world. It was not a very appealing thought, but it was true, despite any apprehension I may have had about this stoic boy.

I watched as he nodded then I followed my statement with a question that had been nagging me. "I heard someone talking to you earlier. Who was it?"

"He is one of my teammates." _Well now, that wasn't too painful, was it?_ I thought. Now, if only he would explain what he meant by teammates like any other normal person.

"Teammates?" I prompted, demonstrating my confusion by tilting my head to the side and waiting for his answer. I could only come up with a few possible explanations and none of them seemed to fit. "Were all the people who found me your teammates for something?"

Previously blank eyes registered a quick flash of surprise, which was then replaced with a new curiosity. What had I said to inspire _that_ particular emotion?

"Yes," Itachi confirmed, but, to my increasing frustration, once again failed to specify for what.

It was then that Sasuke stepped out from behind his brother's legs and looked up at me sitting on my bed. There was a gleam in his eye that I couldn't quite place.

"Itachi is the youngest person _ever_ to be accepted into ANBU," he bragged excitedly. Ah, it was pride that shone in the little boy's eyes, eyes that matched Itachi's perfectly in colour, yet remained innocent and unclouded, unlike his brother's heavy gaze.

"He's the captain of his squad," the young one continued. _Captain?_ Seriously?

I looked up at Itachi again in confusion, searching for clarification. ANBU, I mused. From the way Itachi had stiffened – the tightening in his shoulders and increased rigidity in his stance gave him away – it was likely something that he would not be inclined to talk about.

"Sasuke," he said. His tone was glacial. "Go help okaa-san in the kitchen." Another point for my seemingly flawless intuition.

"But-" Sasuke protested with a pouting look on his face that would have shamed a puppy.

Itachi's voice was firm and unyielding, leaving no room for argument. "Now," he said with impatience showing in those dark, charcoal eyes.

Sasuke's shoulders slumped dejectedly and he turned slowly toward the door.

"Hai, aniki," he said as he shuffled outside and shut the door behind him. Poor Sasuke, I thought, to have such a cold person for a brother.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think," I said, glancing back at said brother. Not to mention cold and unfeeling, I added silently.

"Hn," Itachi said, avoiding my eyes. His face was an emotionless mask again. I had been able to slightly read his expressions once Sasuke had entered the room – annoyance, impatience, and a little bit of curiosity – but now that mask was firmly back in place.

"It must get tiresome," I remarked coolly.

His gaze finally met mine and I smiled up at him. I knew enough by now to know that he would not ask for an explanation. No, the curiosity would kill him before that happened. I reigned in an inappropriate bout of giggles.

"Not showing any emotions twenty-four seven," I explained, the smile growing into a smirk.

He looked away out the window, avoiding me again. "Hn."

"See what I mean?"

He looked back at me, raised an eyebrow and retorted with, "You shouldn't comment on things you know nothing about."

"What, emotions?" My sarcastic remark brought down that irritating eyebrow. "Because, being human and all, I think I pretty much got that covered."

"No," he said cryptically; mask falling even more firmly into place. "You don't." Then he turned and walked out the door without a single glance back.

What an insufferable jerk, I thought, glaring at the door which shut with an equally infuriating snick. What did he expect me to do? Wait here patiently for him to return like a good little girl? No way in hell. Jerk.

Standing up, I marched to the door, wrenched it open, and started down the long hallway it revealed. I should have wondered how Itachi could have disappeared from the hallway already but I was too angry to notice.

I huffed as I stalked down the hall. He hadn't even given me a chance to ask all of the millions of questions that had been whirling about inside my head. The entire time we talked, I had only managed to get in one. One! And even that hadn't been answered fully, creating even more questions for me to stew over. I positively fumed; my angry footsteps could probably have been heard throughout the entire compound.

Arrogant bastard! I mentally screamed.

I reached the end of that particular hall and, having nowhere else to turn, threw open the door in front of me and stormed in angrily, not caring whether or not I was interrupting something. With a dark satisfaction, I saw that it was empty. Glancing around, I surveyed what the room had to offer.

It was a bedroom. The curtains were drawn so the room was dark; the light from the hall made shadows dance on the walls. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see that there was a bed against one wall with dark sheets and dark pillows. There was a desk on the opposite end of the room and the window was situated in the center of the wall between the two. I wouldn't have been able to tell the colour of the walls even if the room had been filled with light because every inch of available wall space was covered by shelves that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Crammed inside the shelves were countless books and scrolls.

Amazed, I began wandering around the room, gazing at the titles. I could read them which was a good sign, I thought as my eyes swept over the numerous novels. Completely forgetting my previous anger in favour of curiosity, I continued around the room and noted that most of the scrolls and books were about some kind of training or jutsu. The word shinobi was mentioned fairly often as well. Curious, I pulled one of the scrolls from its place and was about to open it when I was interrupted.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I spun around and saw Itachi leaning against the doorway.

"Uh…um, I-" I stammered. What was I _supposed_ to say? I had been caught going through the stuff of the people who had taken me into their home despite my memory loss. I didn't even know where I was. At this rate I might as well scream 'spy' or something!

"If you want to be sealed inside that scroll then go ahead and open it," Itachi's cool, slightly superior voice grated on my frayed nerves.

"What-" I started. Then I remembered that I was still holding that damn scroll that had gotten me into trouble in the first place; my fingers were holding the flap part way open. My face heated up and I quickly placed it back on the shelf where I had found it.

"Sorry," I apologized, bowing my head slightly and hoping not to be thrown out on the street. Some 'guest' I was. Wait, was I a guest? Or was I a captive? I hadn't been locked up nor had there been someone guarding me back in the white room but still…

"Why don't you just head back to your room and stay out of mine, or any other room in this house for that matter," Itachi said, a slight frown appearing as he spoke.

"This is _your_ room?" I asked, too distracted by my surprise to be polite. With renewed curiosity, I glanced around again at the room I had wandered into. Looking at it a second time, it seemed elegant and refined with its rich colours and, looking closer with the light from the door, held decoratively detailed furniture, though it was still a little dark for my tastes. Underneath all that elegance though, it was slightly disturbing. Nothing was out of place, the bed was perfectly made and everything seemed to have its own special place; it was unnatural, as though no one actually lived there. It fit Itachi perfectly.

The frown deepened at my obvious perusal. "Hn."

I looked back at Itachi as he turned away and began walking down the corridor. He paused and seemed to hesitate a second before looking over his shoulder at me, dark eyes piercing.

"Come with me," he said.

I couldn't remember my way back to the room I had woken up in since I had stormed off in a rage, so it only made sense to follow him down the corridor. I was a _guest_ after all, right? Walking, we passed door after door, each one firmly shut. The secured doors contrasted jarringly against the large, open windows that allowed a slight breeze and the scent of trees and flowers to enter the otherwise stuffy compound.

A particular gust of air blew some of my hair into my face as we walked. It was a dark, near-black red. Brushing it back with my hand, I mused on what I looked like. I hadn't seen a single mirror since I had woken up. I made a mental note to ask for one if I had the opportunity. If fact, I realized, now would be a good time for a few answers. But where should I start? I mused as we walked in silence. There were so many questions… Our location, I decided, was one of the most important so I would begin with that.

"Itachi-san?" I called, trying to be as polite as possible in the hopes of actually receiving an answer. The boy was walking slighting ahead of me and leading the way. Without him, I probably would have been completely lost. He didn't answer, nor did he give any sign of having heard me. It was annoying but I spoke anyways, not willing to be deterred by a little silence.

"Where, exactly, are we?" I asked.

Itachi didn't answer but I knew I had his attention now by the slight slowing of his brisk pace. He was just hesitating.

"Konoha," he replied after a minute of silence.

"What _is_ Konoha?" I asked. "And where is it?"

"No more questions," he said, shooting a glance back my way.

"Why?" I wasn't allowed to ask questions now? "Obviously someone who lost their memory would have a few questions. You're being unreasonable."

"No. I'm being practical," Itachi replied. "We don't know you, therefore, we cannot trust you. Because of that, you will only get answers when or if we do."

"Is this about that whole 'Where do your loyalties lie?' thing?" My understandable annoyance was quickly becoming anger. "Aren't you overreacting a bit?"

"No, I'm not. No more questions," he repeated.

"Fine," I snapped. Jerk.

Anger is not conducive to getting answers, I told myself, and kept telling myself until I nearly believed it. Try a different avenue, I figured, a more personal one. And I had the perfect one in mind.

"What do I look like?"

Well, _that_ got a reaction. Itachi stopped so abruptly that I didn't have a chance to stop myself before we collided. I stumbled backwards from the force of hitting Itachi's back head-on and ended up tripping over my own feet. Oops. How clumsy of me.

Judging by my abilities when I had been fighting those men, I should have been able to steady myself. My instincts, however, apparently saw no real threat and so no help came from that department. Instead, still falling backwards, I reflexively closed my eyes and braced myself, fully expecting to slam into a hard wooden floor.

Surprisingly, I never did. Instead, when I opened my eyes, I found myself held securely in Itachi's arms. I couldn't really call it an embrace since he had only grabbed me to stop me from falling and making a fool of myself, but both of his arms had ended up wrapped around me so I couldn't truthfully call it anything else. Unfortunately or not, depending on how you looked at it, his arms also prevented me from moving away, resulting in his body being pressed quite intimately against mine for two people who were supposedly strangers. We were close enough that I could feel every line and curve of his _very_ masculine body for someone so young. Under his loose shirt, I could feel hard muscle that could only be achieved with years of serious manual labour, yet his youth allowed him to still be lean rather than overly bulky.

Then I glanced up, my eyes met charcoal and I couldn't look away. Itachi's dark, bottomless eyes turned smoky, giving them a new heated texture that I hadn't seen before. I shivered though I wasn't in the least bit cold. In fact, I could feel the heat rise to my face in response to both my embarrassment and Itachi's proximity.

It ended as abruptly as it had begun and, within an instant, I found myself standing shakily on my not-so-sturdy feet. Almost as quickly, the embarrassment disappeared, just to be replaced by anger – I seemed to get angry a lot, I realized – when I realized that Itachi was already continuing down the corridor. How dare he force me to collide with him then just walk away as though nothing had happened? He could have at least waited for me to catch the breath that had somehow escaped me at his touch.

"What the hell was that about?" I yelled as he was already a good ten feet away from me. He didn't even pause at my increased volume. I raced to catch up with him.

"Why the hell would you go and stop in the middle of the hallway like that," I continued. "It's just asking for someone to run into you. It's not like you couldn't have just answered my question; it wasn't that hard. Hell, you could have even brought me a mirror-"

My rant was abruptly halted by Itachi's hand on my mouth.

"If you do not wish to lose your tongue, I suggest that you stop speaking immediately and do not do so again until asked. Maybe then we might just get a little peace and -"

I couldn't help myself. Though I couldn't remember, I was sure that I had heard this same kind of speech before and his hand _was_ on my mouth – a very tempting offer.

Much to my disappointment, Itachi didn't even gasp in pain. He didn't even wince, actually. His eyes just flashed once in surprise then narrowed in anger. His eyes really were quite expressive when he wasn't actively masking his emotions. It pleased me that I was able to elicit such a reaction from him and cause him to drop his mask, if only for a few seconds.

Drawing his now injured hand away from my face – which I wickedly hoped he now viewed as a dangerous weapon – he glanced down at the blood that was welling up from the crescent shaped mark that my teeth had made in his smooth skin.

Without thinking and before my instincts could stop me, I had glanced at it too. Big mistake. All of a sudden my knees went weak and buckled under me. My stomach began churning, threatening to eject the non-existent food within it. A pounding developed at the back of my skull. I felt sick, really sick. Oh god.

I rushed to the nearest open window which was thankfully only a couple feet away. I inhaled the fresh air, taking deep, calming breaths, and praying that I wouldn't throw up, or faint. I had nearly succeeded to but then I realized that I could taste it in my mouth, the blood, strong and coppery. I spat quickly to get rid of the flavour of it but it was too late. I felt sorry for the plants that grew beneath that window as I emptied the limited contents of my stomach onto them.

Once I was finished, I wilted to the ground. If I had been tired before, I was exhausted now. I felt completely drained. My head spun and the headache increased in intensity. Please no, I begged. I put my head between my knees and clutched my aching skull. The floor was spinning in front of my eyes so I closed them.

"Ugh…" I moaned.

"Are you alright?" I heard Itachi ask. I looked up at him to answer but just managed to moan again.

He reached for me, presumably to help me, but at the sight of his still bleeding hand the dizziness and weakness increased exponentially.

"No!" I yelled, waving a hand at him to get him to back off. I groaned through the pain.

"Cover your hand, _please_," I begged.

"Maybe you shouldn't have bit it then, if you were going to react like this."

"How the hell was I supposed to know this would happen?" I snapped back, head buried once again in my hands.

Then there was blessed silence.

After what seemed like forever, the nausea and headache finally faded. I still felt weak, but anything was better than feeling like my stomach was trying to jump into my mouth or like my head was splitting open. Eventually, I dared to lift my head.

Itachi was leaning against the wall opposite me but this time, instead of coming off as arrogant, he was just… standing there. I could have sworn there was concern in his eyes. His hand was wrapped in a length of cloth which I assumed had come from the pouch he carried strapped to his leg.

"Better?" he asked. I didn't even have the energy to glare so I just attempted to stand. Itachi didn't offer his help this time.

Once I was upright and not clutching the window ledge for support, he gestured down the hall to a shoji screen door.

"That is our destination," he explained. I nodded and he began walking toward it. I followed behind more slowly, still not fully recovered. Itachi opened the door he now faced and motioned for me to follow him inside. This wasn't the room I had woken up in and I wondered what I would find this time. Then I took a steadying breath and walked in.

It was a large room, bare of any decorations except for one image; a red and white fan that appeared to be some sort of crest – a symbol with meaning behind it rather than an extravagant art piece. That symbol and the man sitting in the middle of the wooden floor had a sobering effect on me. This is serious, I thought, and could possibly be what decides my fate here.

The man had a face that was strikingly similar to Itachi's. A relation? His father, I guessed. His hair was the same colour as Itachi's, black as a moonless night, as were his eyes, a frigid charcoal. But I could see that behind those eyes there was a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it, and was determined to do so. Itachi had seemed cold and distant to me, but now, looking at this man, Itachi was the equivalent of a warm, fuzzy teddy bear. This man was as barren of emotion and frigid as the arctic. Very little, I knew, would sway him.

It was at this point that I started feeling nervous. The man intimidated me, as much as I hated to admit it. And he was staring at me, just staring. Nerve-racking, was the appropriate adjective that came to mind. My hands began to shake and I fought to control them by clasping them behind my back.

Power. That was what he radiated. Not the kind of physical power that I had somehow released against the men from before, though I sensed he had that too, but the power of influence. The power that came with importance and demanded absolute obedience and submission.

"Sit," the man said, indicating the area directly in front of him.

But I would not submit. I would _never_ submit. Deep within me I knew that I was not someone who would bow down to anyone unless they had earned my respect first, and only then when absolutely necessary. To this man I would be polite, courteous, grateful, and pleasant – the perfect guest. But I would not show fear or confusion in front of him, nor my desperation to discover the truth about myself. I would not let anyone, or anything, keep me from my search for my memories.

For the moment, I sat.

"What is your name?" Brisk and to the point, I thought when the man I was assuming to be Itachi's and Sasuke's father spoke.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, trying to be as polite as possible while grinding my teeth in annoyance, "I don't remember." Did no one tell this guy that I had no memories, that interrogation was useless?

"Who are you?" I returned, equally pointedly.

The man's stoic expression and bluntness seemed too natural to be part of a conscious effort to intimidate me. Rather, they were in his nature. I wasn't about to be forced to submit that easily, however. I wasn't the one at fault here. My initial nervousness when entering this room had been successfully forced back and I _would_ get through this.

"So it's true then," he said, more of an afterthought then anything else, completely ignoring my question as if I didn't have a right to know. I was surprised my teeth weren't cracking.

He glanced at Itachi who had stayed near the door, his back leaning against the wall and his expression seemingly indifferent. Itachi just stared back.

Looking back to me, the older man continued.

"Do you remember anything?" he questioned.

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Are you sure?"

I had to almost physically reign in my frustration at this obvious, and useless, interrogation.

Speaking through my teeth, I answered him, "Yes, I'm sure."

If he asked my one more time, I was going to shove that kunai he had hidden up his sleeve up his ass to meet the stick that was already there.

It took me a second to realize what I had just thought. I hadn't consciously seen anything that would have hinted to a weapon being hidden in the sleeve of his haori, so how the hell had I known it was there? Was it even there? It was impossible to know for sure just by looking, but I couldn't help but feel that I was right. My subconscious mind, the part still mysterious to me, must have caught something that my conscious mind hadn't.

"Hm," the man intoned. He leaned back and looked me over as though he was trying to see if I was lying or not. After a few seconds of silence, I just had to ask. It was killing me not knowing. I had a niggling feeling that curiosity was going to be the death of me, but I ignored it... as usual it seemed.

"Um, excuse me?" I said, still trying to be polite in this foreign house – I wouldn't call it a home. "I was just wondering if you could tell me whether or not you had a weapon hidden in your right sleeve."

Two pairs of charcoal eyes widened briefly in surprise, then narrowed immediately after in suspicion. Okay, maybe that wasn't such a smart idea. Still, waiting for my answer, I purposely ignored the tense atmosphere and watched as Itachi and his father became even tenser.

After a minute or so of getting no responses, I closed my eyes and sighed in exasperation. It seemed I wouldn't be getting any answers unless I explained. Though, from their reactions, I had a feeling that my little hunch was correct.

It was strange how I had somehow known...

Coincidently, the moment I opened my mouth to speak so did Itachi's father.

"How did you know that?" His hand moved to his right sleeve and removed said weapon. The kunai was exactly the same kind as the one that had been used on me by those men in the forest. A slight tinge of my previous nervousness returned.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

The man scowled, his first real expression. That was my only warning before he moved with exceedingly fast reflexes and threw the dangerous weapon with astonishing skill and accuracy.

It landed with a thud where I had been a split second before.

Landing silently on my feet from my flip backwards, I blinked. How had I done that?Unrestrained shock at my own abilities overwhelmed me. I was _fast_, like _really_ fast.

The sharp edge of cool steel on my neck alerted me to a presence behind me. Itachi, I sensed. When had he moved?

The kunai he held at my neck pressed down on my skin where I felt a sharp prick.

"You will answer me quickly and truthfully. Who are you and what do you want?" He spoke in my ear, his words cruel and harsh and his voice colder than the metal against my throat. This was _not_ the Itachi I had been talking to a mere few minutes before, the one that had asked if I was alright. This was the Itachi that had somehow knocked me unconscious in the clearing. This was the Itachi that would kill me in an instant without blinking.

"I-I don't know." My voice was a low whisper. This Itachi scared me.

I could see Itachi's supposed father standing up and moving to retrieve the other kunai from where it was embedded in the floor. The weapon at my neck dug in further and I could feel something warm seeping from the cut it made. Blood, I realized, and immediately regretted it. The nausea I had experienced before returned with a vengeance, followed rapidly by the disabling weakness.

_Run!_ My instincts screamed at me.

I shut my eyes from the pain of the cut though I desperately wanted to keep them open in order to defend myself. The queasy, nauseous feeling grew in my stomach and a headache began to develop deep in my skull once again. The trickle of my blood flowed lazily from my neck, into my yukata, and down my chest and stomach. Suddenly it was all I could focus on because everything else was fading away.

"Liar," I dimly heard the older man hiss.

Metal sliced into my cheek and my eyes flashed open at the sharp pain it caused. Blood, _my_ blood, reflected the light in the room from the edge of the deadly weapon in the man's hand. My eyes couldn't look away though the headache increased ten-fold and the queasiness spread through me. I was completely frozen in absolute terror and couldn't even move my head away. Tremors racked my entire body and my vision darkened, eyes still riveted to the blood. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The sickening, metallic smell of my own blood was slowly suffocating me. I had to get away!

_Blood!… DANGER! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN NOW!_

Distantly, I heard a piercing, pain-filled scream before a sudden, sharp pain at the back of my head forced me to succumb to the darkness.

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 3

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 3**

_There was a woman holding a little girl about six years old high over her head as the girl laughed in joyous rapture. The woman was laughing along with the little girl, obviously her daughter._

_They faded and disappeared to be replaced with a young family sitting on a white blanket, surrounding a wicker picnic basket. There was a father and son now with the mother and daughter. The boy looked to be older than the girl by a couple years. The father was leaning back on his arms, a small smile on his face as he watched his daughter and son debating over who should get the last cookie._

_There was an intense feeling of loneliness that passed in an instant._

_Then the boy was a few years older, around ten. He was seated at a wooden desk, bent over a scroll that he was focused intently on. His younger sister, now looking about eight, watched contentedly from the doorway as he worked._

_Now, a new man with short black hair, a spiral mask, and a single red eye was speaking to a restless crowd, pointing to a large house in the background. The happy family was nowhere in sight while the crowd moved forward with their knives and other dangerous-looking weapons._

_The scene turned red with blood. The crimson colour spread and seeped across the picture, consuming the moving vision of the mob reaching the house, shouting in anger, and breaking down the door. The last thing visible before the blood totally covered it was the image of three bodies, bloodied and crumpled on a forest floor – the family. The only one missing was the daughter._

I woke up screaming.

Tears ran down my face at the memory of the dream – no, the nightmare – and I wiped at them with the back of my hand. I refused to believe that it could be more than a nightmare. My family was not…

Damn it. I hated crying. My face would get all red and puffy and make me look like a splotchy tomato. I continued swiping at the tears that refused to stop and looked beside me for something other than my hand to wipe them with.

I was back in the white room but this time Itachi was actually sitting on the chair beside my bed. I shrank back instinctively. Itachi was the last person I wanted to see upon awakening, right up there next to the man who I still only assumed to be his father from their similar appearances. Considering that these were two out of the four people I 'knew', it wasn't a very cheering thought.

When Itachi didn't make any threatening, maiming, or generally aggravating gestures towards me, however, I forced myself to relax a little. He was just looking at me, which was kind of creepy in its own right, with the curtains drawn over his eyes once again.

"Stop it," he said suddenly.

I stared blankly. "Stop what?"

He pointed at my face where the tears still flowed weakly down my cheeks that were probably cherry red by now.

"I would if I could." My tone got defensive. "No one can just turn off their tears whenever they want."

My frustration, combined with the lingering feeling of helplessness from the nightmare, had the stream of tears increasing as if to spite us both. I scrubbed furiously at the persistent tears and fumed under my breath at becoming a walking tomato for the next hour until the splotches faded away.

A sharp intake of breath drew my attention away from my internal volcano of emotions. Itachi was still watching me but now surprise was obvious in his eyes and the way his hands clenched the arms of the chair. Confused, it took me a second to realize what had shocked this stoic boy in front of me into revealing even one iota of feeling. The realization, when it came, shocked me too.

He had heard my mutterings. I had somehow known that my face turned red and splotchy when I cried. I had known that I hated the way it looked. It was painfully clear now that I had always known and amazingly enough I realized I could recall many more facts about my physical body and internal emotions.

I was stubborn, very stubborn, with an almost vicious competitive streak. I hated being wrong and loved correcting other people's mistakes whether I was actually trying to help or simply annoying them. But I was caring too, and a little carefree, however odd that sounded. I was excessively loyal and once someone had earned my trust and respect, they had it for life. I didn't believe in betrayal. On the other hand, because of this, I was extremely defensive about those I cared about and didn't form new bonds easily. However, I liked helping people and would do whatever I felt needed to be done, right or wrong, which sometimes got me into trouble.

I tried to follow this thought further into my mind but I hit a wall. I couldn't bring forth any memories of times I had actually gotten in trouble or what I had done in the first place to deserve that trouble. It was just a feeling and my memory wouldn't let me expand on those feelings. So I decided to try following a different path.

I was spontaneous, not afraid to speak my mind, and people around me had called me a 'heartbreaker'. Whether they had meant that in a good or bad way, I couldn't tell. It was blocked from my conscious mind, as were their names and faces. I dug further, trying desperately to put faces to these feelings but nothing came.

Distressed at my failure to derive memories from emotions, I turned instead to the physical aspects of myself.

I realized now that had never really needed a mirror and I was glad that I had never gotten one, thus, allowing me to make the connection myself. I had seen that my hair was a dark red before so that didn't count. But now I knew that my eyes were a light shade of grey and that they lightened almost to silver when I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I liked my face, except after I had been crying, of course. My complexion was fair. I had a smallish nose, expressive eyes, and rosy pink rather than red lips. My hands were callused from physical labour that I couldn't recall doing but they were also dainty enough to appear feminine. Looking down at them, I could see that it was true.

I was five feet at my assumed twelve years. Itachi was taller than me by almost half a foot. My arm, I recalled. I had broken my right arm before, along with a couple knuckles. I had twisted an ankle and had sustained bruises and/or cuts on almost every part of my body at one time or another, but once again, I had no idea as to how any of those injuries had occurred. _What had I been doing to receive so many injuries?_

And, of course, I knew why my arm was still wrapped up and why there was a new bandage secured along my throat. I just didn't want to think about it.

Finishing my personal inspection, I noticed that Itachi was staring at me oddly; not very surprising since I had just sat there for the past couple minutes, not saying a word. I _was_ surprised he hadn't said anything.

"What did you remember?" I could hear genuine curiosity in his voice, whether he realized it or not. Then I understood that he had actually been waiting for me to finish remembering. He had been letting me recall things on my own, in my own time, without interruption. How…considerate.

"Nothing much really," I answered without thinking. I mentally cursed myself. I was not about to openly talk to the boy who had not long ago threatened my life. Before I might have done so, but not anymore, not with everything that had happened. He had held a kunai to my throat and I wasn't about to forget it.

Itachi just kept watching me like he'd been doing the entire time, as though he expected me to continue.

"Would you stop that?" I snapped.

"Stop what?"

"Stop staring at me!"

Itachi just raised an eyebrow.

I scowled at him. "I'm serious. This isn't funny!"

"I wasn't laughing."

I groaned inwardly. Talking to him was impossible.

Sweeping the white sheets off my legs, I moved until I was sitting on the side of the bed, my bare feet touching the cold wooden floor. Still scowling, I faced Itachi directly.

"Questions need to be answered. Now," I demanded.

"I agree," Itachi replied. "You will explain how you were able to identify a kunai hidden in my father's sleeve and why you reacted the way you did when you were confronted about it, as well as during the other… incident."

"What? No! _I _need answers! _I'm _the one with a lack of memories. I think I deserve a few answers."

"I have already stated this: you will get no answers until we can trust you."

"How the hell are you supposed to start trusting me if you don't let me prove myself trustworthy!" I shouted back at him.

Itachi couldn't seem to come up with a response to that.

I counted to ten slowly in my head and my fiery anger left me as exhaustion took its place. I had just slept but I was already tired, tired of being here, tired of having to deal with being alone in the world. I sighed. "You really need to talk more. How are we supposed to have a conversation if you don't say anything?"

Still no response. Just perfect, I thought sarcastically.

"Fine," I growled, my anger quickly returning. Being tired made me easy to piss off and I was seriously pissed at being ignored. It didn't help that Itachi was infuriating. Turning around, I proceed to dish out the silent treatment. I knew I was being extremely immature, but I was frustrated, angry, and sick and tired of being bullied and ignored.

The silence continued for a good five minutes before I heard Itachi just get up and leave. Dumbfounded at his abrupt departure, I spun around and just barely stopped myself from calling out his name. Stunned, the internal shields I had unknowingly put up to protect myself dropped, allowing despair to wash over me.

Once again I was alone. A village full of people I assumed surrounded me, but I was just as alone as when I had first woke up in that damned forest. Tears welled up and threatened to spill over for the second time within half an hour. My hands were shaking again.

When Itachi and his teammates had found me, I had thought that maybe I would be safe. I had thought that I might get some answers. At the very least, I had thought that I wouldn't be alone. I had thought wrong.

I hadn't even been allowed to go outside, let alone look for any family I might have. I was constantly frightened, even threatened. I had no idea what these people planned to do with me but I didn't intend to stay and find out.

These people were not friendly. They would not help me. I was alone and I couldn't let myself think I wasn't. It would only cause more pain.

Tears made silent, unnoticed tracks down my already tear-stained cheeks. My emotions ran hot in my veins, merging the despair, anger, and hurt and becoming stronger until there was nothing left but utter desperation.

I had to leave. I needed to escape from this unfeeling, hostile place.

I stood and walked over to the window. It opened easily. Outside, it was already growing dark. I climbed over the frame and landed deftly on solid stone. I snuck slowly away along paved walkways amid lush greens, farther and farther from my elegantly furnished prison until I came to a stone wall. Scaling its pitted surface easily, I hopped down the other side. I was getting better at letting my natural abilities take over.

On the other side of the wall was a broad road. Cautiously, I moved down the dark street which was lined with comfortable, inviting houses with lightened windows. Inside, I could briefly spot families moving about in preparation for their evening meal, but I couldn't linger to enjoy the simple domesticity. They would be after me soon and I had to get as far away as I could.

Eventually, I came to a set of large, open gates. They were impressive structures, intimidating and just radiating wealth and power. Beyond them were smaller houses but they also had brightly lit windows and their own domestic scenes. Apparently the main area of village awaited me. Most likely Konoha, I reminded myself.

I breathed in heavily and prepared myself to face what came next: the search for my parents, my family, and whoever else may know me. I walked forward.

Passing through the gate, I glanced back once. Etched on the gates was the familiar symbol from the room where I had fainted, but I had no time to wonder why it was there. Itachi and that man would not let me go easily. If I knew anything, I knew that much. They would search for me and, unless I was careful, they would likely succeed in securing me once again. They knew this village and, even if by some chance it was my home, I did not.

With that knowledge embedded in my mind alongside the dark space that should have held my memories, I left the compound. It was a shame that little Sasuke was the only one I was going to miss, I mused.

Walking down residential street after residential street, I must have passed a hundred houses before I came upon the village market. The sun had only just set so there were still crowds of people walking the shop-lined streets, browsing through the goods on display. The evening air was cool compared to the previous heat of the day.

I meandered between the groups of chatting teenagers, families with small children in tow, and men and women who were dressed oddly similar. It was those last groups men and women that I quickly became weary of. They exuded power, skill, and intelligence, but that was not the only reason why I began avoiding them as much as possible. Rather, it was mostly because they all wore, somewhere on their bodies, a metal band with the exact same symbol etched into it that Itachi and his comrades had worn.

My only comfort, and it was a very small one at that, was that none of the people I saw wore the same outfit as Itachi and his group. Instead, they wore grey or green vests covered with numerous pockets and green, blue or black clothing under that, with various other assorted articles. Some of the symbol-wearers wore nothing like either outfit, Itachi's or this new one, and the only thing that identified them was that ever-present band. It was... odd.

Observing them carefully as I passed them on the street, I recalled the name that had came into my mind when I had been confronted by the men in the forest: _shinobi_. Dangerous, my instincts added.

I was shaking my head, telling myself not to dwell on it too much, when a particularly tantalizing scent wafted in my direction. I had been smelling the unique smells of the market since I had entered, but this particular scent promised hot, delicious food and my stomach responded with a hearty growl.

Damn, I thought. When was the last time I had eaten? Surprise, surprise, I couldn't remember. Of course, Itachi hadn't bothered to feed me, I fumed.

Another insistent growl and I cursed myself for not thinking to scout for some money before I had left the compound. How the hell had _that_ slipped my mind? Evidently, depression made me stupid. Although, considering some more, I had no idea if I would even recognize the currency that they used here. If this wasn't my country, then it could be completely foreign to me.

Nevertheless, I followed the smell of cooking food to an unassuming ramen house. The sign over the entrance identified it as Ichiraku Ramen. A quick glance inside had my mouth watering. A steaming bowl of yummy-looking ramen was being served to a young, blond kid who was enthusiastically devouring his fourth helping, the three empty bowls piled up beside him.

I couldn't help but want to linger there a few minutes, furtively hoping to absorb some of the food through smell alone. It was as I stood there with drool hanging from the corner of my mouth that the shop owner noticed me and my hesitation to leave. When he began beckoning me inside the shop, I started and quickly began backing away from the man and his addictive-smelling food.

Unfortunately, both the girl heading into the shop with a heavily-laden tray and I failed to notice that we were on a collision course. The sound of the tray hitting the ground and the bowls shattering echoed across the suddenly silent market road. My face flushed beet red, I immediately stammered out apologizes to the girl and once again began backing away from the scene. Attention was not a good thing while attempting to run away. Before I could get five steps, however, I was stopped by a firm hand on my shoulder. I froze and all I could think was, "Shit, that didn't take long."

Then I heard, "How about you help my daughter clean up this mess then come inside for a bowl of ramen."

I turned and, sure enough, it was the ramen man. I breathed a blessed sigh of relief. At least he didn't look angry. If Itachi found me I was sure that he would be furious. Well, at least internally anyway.

"I'd love to help clean up," I said," but I don't exactly have any money on me to buy food right now."

"That's fine," the portly man said, smiling. "It's on the house."

I could have cried in relief.

Fifteen minutes later found me inside the ramen bar, chowing down on all the ramen I could eat, which turned out to be a lot. I was _starving_.

"This is delicious!" I exclaimed, slurping down more noodles. The man, whose name I had learned was Teuchi, just smiled at me and kept on washing dishes. His daughter, Ayame, who turned out to be only a year older then me, had gone in the back to make more of the delicious ramen. It tasted as good as it had smelled.

The blond boy had left while I had been helping Ayame clean up the mess that I had inadvertently caused. Apparently, the little boy had polished off their remaining ramen and Ayame had been retrieving some more ingredients when I had run into her. Luckily, there had been more than enough ingredients left to make more ramen.

I polished off the bowl I had been working on and sat back with a contented sigh.

"Another bowl?" Teuchi asked.

"No, no," I said, shaking my head, "I couldn't eat another bite. I think I would explode."

Teuchi laughed, "Well, I'm glad to hear it."

I smiled. They were such nice people. Saints when compared with everyone else in my limited acquaintance.

"What did you say your name was again? I can't seem to recall."

"Oh," I said, "I... Well... That is... I don't know what my name is, to tell you the truth."

Teuchi's expression was confused as he placed the last dish on the counter with the rest.

"I... Well, I lost my memories. All of them since before just recently." I tried to explain. "Almost three days ago, actually."

"I see," Teuchi said. His expression was solemn and thoughtful but he didn't press for more information. I was grateful for that after the interrogation I had experienced at both Itachi's and the older man's hands.

"Do you have some people to help you? Was your family with you when it happened?" Teuchi asked, merely out of concern rather than curiosity or suspicion.

"No," I replied. "No, I don't have anyone." My eyes began to sting. Damn it.

Concern and compassion were obvious when Teuchi spoke again. "Do you need a place to stay?"

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

"Well, in that case, give me a minute to close down the shop and I'll set up a mat for you in the back. It should be comfortable enough for the night."

"Thank you," I said sincerely. "I promise to repay you somehow for all your kindness."

"Please don't," Teuchi said, "We're happy to help."

"Nevertheless," I insisted.

Teuchi just smiled. "Whatever you think is best then."

I was warm inside from good food and good company. For the first time in my memory I felt happy, cared for. I was scared to leave and lose this feeling though I knew, come morning, I would have to if I wanted any hope of staying out of Itachi's grasp. But for now, I would allow myself a brief respite. Tonight, I could pretend, just for a little while, that I was home.

Later on, while I was lying down to sleep on the mat that Teuchi had prepared, I was able to close for the first time with a smile lingering on my face.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 4

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 4**

"I'm not going to give up," I said with determination.

Ayame looked at me in awe. Though she was a year older than me – well, what I assumed was my age anyway – she had never heard a story quite like mine, which I had explained over a breakfast of more ramen. Amnesia, it seemed, was not all that commonplace around here.

"You're really brave," Ayame said reverently.

I scratched the back of my neck, embarrassed by her praise.

"Not really," I corrected with a sigh. "To tell you the truth, I was terrified the entire time."

Well, when I wasn't extremely pissed off, but I kept that particular tidbit to myself.

Ayame nodded as if in understanding. "Uchiha-san can be very intimidating."

I swear my jaw hit the floor.

"Y-You know him?" I stuttered.

"Oh, everyone knows him," Ayame stated seriously. "Everyone says that he's a prodigy." Ayame frowned.

"Why do they say that?" I asked, curious now. Sasuke had said something about him being a 'captain' of something. Something to do with 'ANBU', whatever that meant. What kind of person was this captor of mine?

Ayame hesitated. I could tell that she was debating on whether or not to tell me something.

"I'm not a bad person," I said. "I may not have any memories but I know that much. I wouldn't use anything you said against you or your village."

This seemed to pacify Ayame somewhat but she still hesitated.

"What is it?" I questioned. "Why can't you tell me?"

"Well, the reason behind why he's called a prodigy is kind of a delicate topic outside our village. It's fine to talk about it to other villagers in Konoha but a big no-no with people from other villages, even seemingly nice, decent people."

"I see. And I might be an outsider, despite being a seemingly nice and decent person."

Ayame nodded. I could tell that it was difficult for her to not explain it to me when she so obviously wanted to help so I decided to drop the topic for now.

"So, this village is called Konoha?" The same village that those music-note men had thought I was from.

"Yes," Ayame confirmed, looking a bit relieved at the change of subject. "Well, Konohagakure, if you want to get really specific but most people just call it Konoha. It's a village in the Fire Country." It seemed like she was going to say more but she stopped.

"Ok. And who's in charge here? Like, who would help me find my family?"

"Well, there's the Fire Lord, the head of Fire Country, but I doubt he would do anything the help you. Too busy with politics and stuff. Then there's the Hokage, our village leader. That's the strongest shinobi in the village. Right now, that's the Sandaime, the Third."

Damn, more shinobi. No thank you.

"Is there anyone else who could help me?" I asked hopefully.

"Um… Normally I would suggest Fugaku Uchiha, the head of our police force but…" Ayame bit her lip.

"But what?" I demanded.

"Well, you've met already."

"What?" I stammered, shocked.

Ayame just looked at me seriously. "The police chief is Itachi's father."

It took me a second to take in the full implication of that statement.

"His father's the police chief?" I squeaked. Oh, no, no, no, no, no! Damn it all to hell!

Ayame nodded.

"But what about Itachi then? What does he do? Hell, shouldn't he be in school or something?" I questioned nervously, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"Itachi finished school a long time ago, comes with being a prodigy. He's in ANBU now," Ayame replied.

"What's ANBU?" I asked.

Ayame glanced around quickly then leaned closer to me.

"It's a very secretive organization and I suggest you stay away from them," she whispered and refused to say anything more.

Thoroughly confused, I sat back to digest this new information. I had the police chief and one of these ANBU on my tail. I didn't know what ANBU was, but if it was too secretive to be mentioned it couldn't be good.

A hand on my shoulder shook me out of my reverie.

"I think I'm going to leave now, Teuchi-san," I said without looking up. "Thank you for th-"

Then I sensed him. I looked up.

Coal black eyes glared into mine.

_Shit._

"Would you stop?" I yelled, trying furtively to yank my arm out of Itachi's iron grip. This complaint, like all the others, was ignored as I was dragged with little dignity back to my own personal hell.

"You're hurting me!"

Itachi sped up his already ground eating pace.

Well, I _was_ stubborn, wasn't I? Maybe it was time to act like it.

Itachi suddenly found his burden impossible to drag any further. After all, it was rather hard to drag a person across rough gravel without hurting them when said person was sitting down.

I watched with mulish amusement as Itachi spun around and took in the fruitless situation.

What happened next was _not_ what I had expected to happen and I began to regret that stubborn streak. Something I was sure I had done numerous times before.

Because it was then that I learned that Itachi could be just as stubborn as myself as I found myself lifted into the air and slung roughly onto a firm shoulder. What little dignity I had left immediately flew out the window crying bloody murder.

Itachi carried me like a potato sack the rest of the way to our destination while I yelled, complained and kicked constantly, hopefully making it very difficult for him.

It only took me a short time to grow tired of my own antics and I ceased my assault with a resigned sigh.

Of course, it was then that I noticed the stares of the people we passed. I waved at some gawking females from over Itachi's shoulder as he continued on his path. He and I were causing quite the sensation on the crowded streets.

"How did you find me in such a crowded village?" I asked Itachi, not really expecting an answer.

"I could sense you. You have a very distinct chakra," was his surprising and monotonous reply.

I tried to turn my head to see his face, but of course, he studiously avoided looking behind him.

"What are you talking about? What's chakra? You know, you still haven't really told me anything about what you want from me."

As per usual, I was finding, Itachi resumed his typical silence.

I huffed in frustration.

Eventually, I noticed his brisk pace slowing and glanced behind, expecting to see the towering walls of Itachi's family's compound.

The place we were headed to, however, was not the location of terror that I had had in mind. I gazed up at the new building as best as I could from my position atop Itachi's shoulder.

Tall whitewashed walls supported a red roof on which was perched a large sign.

_Fire_, it read. As in, for Fire Country? Likely their village's main building. I groaned. Perfect.

Even more terrified now that I knew where we were really going, my knees quickly buckled when Itachi abruptly set me down. This time though he didn't bother to catch me.

Sitting stunned on the ground, I watched as Itachi begin walking up the stairs leading to the door into the building.

I could run, I thought, the idea extremely tempting in my head. I could escape.

Itachi looked back and his glare sent my thoughts of escape scurrying for cover in my mind. I knew Itachi could read my desire for freedom on my face – I wasn't exactly trying to hide it – but this time, when he continued up the stairs, I followed. Escape, at least at this point, was futile.

By the time we reached the top of the stairs, I was sweating unattractively in the humid air. Hot, humid air which almost made it feel as though I were walking through soup. I was not used to this climate, a fact which was both disheartening and relieving at the same time. My family probably didn't live here if I wasn't adjusted to the climate, meaning that I was so much farther from finding them. On the other hand, belonging to a village where I was now almost a fugitive wouldn't be the greatest revelation.

Walking inside, Itachi and I entered a curving hallway. We followed the hallway and came to another door which Itachi proceeded to swiftly knock at. When there was no reply, he opened the door and walked in.

The room which we entered wasn't overly large, but the windows along the far side gave it a more open feel than it would have possessed otherwise. One of those windows was propped open to let in a cooling breeze that ruffled the papers on the large desk directly in across from the doorway. There were no other entrances that I could see other than the door through which we had just entered and the panoramic view from the bay windows didn't lend much hope to a possible jump to safety.

Abruptly, I was torn from this perusal when I heard the word 'relax' whispered directly in my ear.

The fact that Itachi was able to get behind me without my noticing was disturbing enough, but when I felt his hands on my shoulders and his breathe brushing my ear, the surprise and fear that suddenly gripped me caused me to snap.

With my riotous emotions swirling and boiling within me, I went for blood.

Spinning around with surprising speed, I planted my fist with pleasing force on Itachi's face. It was only slightly dimmed by the sharp pain left in my hand. The result, however, was a little disappointing when Itachi didn't even have the decency to look surprised, but I wasn't about to be deterred.

Days of hurt, anger, and despair, all raged within me, begging for release. Enough was enough.

Growling in rage, I screamed at the one person who could have, and should have helped me.

"This is why I left! This is why I ran away!"

Tears burned my eyes but I ruthlessly shoved them down.

"I will _not_ relax," I continued. "I will not sit quietly while nothing is being done to help me. I haven't done anything wrong! Why won't you _help_ me?"

These feelings were consuming me and I couldn't keep them from succeeding. I didn't want to even try anymore.

"All you did was make everything worse! All I wanted was to find someone who knew me and get my memories back, but no! You couldn't even let me outside, let alone search for anyone!"

I turned around, unable to watch him standing there, doing nothing.

"I hate you!" I shouted. "I hate you all!"

A couple tears escaped my white-knuckled hold.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" My voice cracked. "I just want to go home."

The tears came now, stronger than before, and I let them come.

"I just want…" and I couldn't finish. I didn't know what I wanted. All I knew was that it wasn't here. Once again, I found myself scrubbing at tears.

"Damn, I hate crying," I said, producing a strangled, self-mocking smile as I was breaking inside.

…

"Then don't," came the muted reply.

I forced out a weak laugh. "We've been through this before. It's not that easy."

I scowled even though I knew he couldn't see it. "And I don't need your advice," I added.

"Really now? I think maybe you should listen. I've found Itachi can give good advice when he feels like it."

The unfamiliar, fatherly voice made me look up to see the old man walking into the room.

"In this case though, it might be best if you allowed your emotions to run their course, um?"

The old man smiled.

Behind me Itachi bowed. "Hokage-sama."

I scowled. The village leader and top shinobi, according to Ayame. He didn't look that strong to me.

Still smiling disarmingly at me, he motioned Itachi and I toward the chairs placed in front of the desk. Seating himself behind it, he gazed calmly at Itachi and me. It was kind of unnerving to me, actually.

"I expect that you want to know why you are here."

Figuring that it had something to do with my recent escape attempt, I nodded.

The old man continued, "Well, before we get down to it, we should really find a name for you because I am at a loss as to what to call you."

Not seeing how naming me anything other than my elusive real name was important to the situation at hand, I didn't respond. Not letting my silence deter him, however, the Sandaime continued with the same welcoming air which I was sure was meant to lure me into a false sense of safety.

"What would you be most comfortable with? Pick any name you like," he said and leaned back in his chair, indicating that the conversation would go no further until I picked a name for myself.

I gave a mental sigh at the old man's insistence but also acknowledged that it would probably be for the best if the people in this village had a name to call me by other than 'girl,' or 'hey you,' or something. This pseudonym I was willing to give more thought to, but, as I had no ideas at the time, I still did not answer him, refusing to give in to his silent pressure.

He merely kept smiling.

"Can't think of any? Maybe I know a few you may like. How about Naomi?" he suggested.

Honest and beautiful? I didn't think so.

The Hokage accurately read my grimace. Good for him.

"Okay then. How about… Yua?"

Binding love? I'll pass.

"Chouko?"

This one was deserving of a wince. Butterfly child? Get serious, old man. I was no butterfly.

"Kotone-"

"Enough already!" I finally huffed. "I can pick my own name in my own time. I wouldn't even need one in the first place if you people would just let me find someone who knows me!"

Itachi's quiet voice interrupted me.

"Amaya."

I turned to stare openly at Itachi who had been so silent I had nearly forgotten he was there.

"What?" I breathed. I could feel warmth rising in my cheeks.

Itachi looked at me as though he wasn't about to answer but he did, "Amaya. It means night rain."

"I know what it means but why did you think of that?"

He looked out the window, seeming to close himself off again.

"It was raining when I found you."

It was a simple enough answer but it astounded me that Itachi would come up with something so… sentimental. I hadn't known him a long time, only a couple days really, but already I had the impression that that wasn't his thing.

The old man butted in with his unwelcome input.

"So you like Amaya then?"

When Itachi moved his gaze from the window back to mine, I avoided meeting his eyes by looking back to the Hokage. This was getting… awkward.

"Yeah," I said absently. "Sure."

I moved back from my previous position of leaning almost out of my chair.

The old man folded his hands on his desk. "Well, now that that's decided, let's move on to the more important stuff."

It was quickly becoming clear to me that this man was officially insane in that good-intentioned-crackpot-old-geezer kind of way.

Itachi just stared blankly out the window, obviously no longer counting himself important to this conversation.

"Start from the beginning," the old man said, interrupting my internal examination of his mental stability. "Go as far back as you can remember and leave nothing out."

I paused for a second, thinking this over. Should I tell him the whole story or leave out _certain_ parts?

A heavy sigh escaped me. Despite it being only around noon, it had been another stressful day and I was already too tired to do anything but tell the truth. Not that I had ever been given much choice. So, I took a deep, calming breath and began.

"The first thing I remember is awakening to the sun shining warmly on my face. It was about mid afternoon and, seeing as how I can't remember anything, I don't know how long I had been lying there…"

Once I had started, I couldn't stop. The story just poured out of me from waking up with no memories, to the men's attempted abduction, to meeting Itachi for the first time.

Itachi seemed to become most interested in my telling of the tale when I recited the part about the mysterious power that had seemed to flow through me. He did not comment on it though.

When I got to the part about waking up in Itachi's house, Itachi interrupted frequently to correct some events and input his own version of my _captivity_ and re-capture at the ramen shop. He also mentioned some more terms that were familiar, yet unknown to me, such as _rogue nin_ and _chakra_.

When I finally finished, both the old man and Itachi were silent. Itachi's was more of a brooding silence however, while the old man's was thoughtful.

After a few seconds, he seemed to come to a decision and I realized he must have been deciding what to do with me based on my story. I instinctively sat up straighter and tried to make myself as non threatening as possible; hands out in the open, calm expression, no shifty eyes.

"Mmm…" he began, "this is most intriguing."

Itachi turned from, once again, looking out the window to look at the Hokage. The old man looked into my eyes.

"I believe that you are telling the truth about losing your memories," -Thank god _someone_ believes me! - "so I don't see interrogation to be necessary, but until we can find out how this came to be and who might be looking for you, I have no choice but to keep you within the village and under surveillance."

I knew what this meant. It meant I was going to be handed over to Itachi and his father again. I was going to help captive again; trapped.

"We have to find out about your origins before we can make any moves that may endanger the village." His stern gaze locked onto my eyes. "You understand why we have to do this, don't you? It's for your own protection as well as ours."

I had to admit that I did understand, but I still hated it.

The old man seemed to know what I was thinking through my silence alone.

"So I have your word that you won't try to escape again?" He gestured to Itachi. "If you do, Itachi will have to hunt you down again," and as a further threat he added, "with lethal force if necessary."

"And if I don't?" I didn't really have much of a choice but it was always good to keep my options open.

The old man's eyes dimmed a little as though with regret.

"Then I'll have to hand you over to Ibiki, our interrogator and torturer, to get your promise the alternate and certainly less pleasant way."

Swallowing, I nodded my agreement. I was not suicidal nor was I in any way fond of pain.

His smile was blinding. "Excellent!"

Then he proceeded to outline the terms of my captivity.

"You are free to go anywhere you want, within reason, within the village. You will, however, have an escort with you at all times. Itachi will mostly fill this role but, when he is not available, another ANBU will supervise you. In addition-"

"I'm sorry," I interrupted," but, what is ANBU?"

I caught Itachi's gaze dart in my direction for an instant. The old man blinked in surprise, but quickly brushed it off.

"Itachi will explain the workings of the village to you in due time. Now where was I? Oh, yes. In addition, you will wear a tracker that will allow Itachi to know of your whereabouts at all times and will detect any further chakra spikes that may occur."

I didn't bother to ask what chakra was, knowing I wouldn't get an answer. At least I would have a little freedom rather than be restricted to that medical room I had spent the last day or so in.

Itachi seemed to accept this mission with no question or hesitation and I wondered if he had done this kind of stuff before. I had thought he would at least have had some complaints at having to babysit me until all this could be sorted out, but obviously I was wrong.

Shouldn't he be out hanging with friends or something trivial like that?

This was way too serious for someone who seemed just a little older than me. I had no choice, but Itachi did. It was strange how he just seemed to accept it as though it was his job to do so.

Maybe it was.

The old man was still talking. "We will contact Suna to see if they have any records, but the council doesn't hold much hope that it will be that simple."

I had no idea what _Suna_ was, but I was slightly relieved that at least something was being done, albeit without my input, to discover where I truly came from.

In the end, this guy seemed nice enough. After what I had been through over the last couple days, however, I was not about to put much trust into first impressions.

I stared at the old man smiling serenely at me from across the large desk, going over what I had gotten myself into. Paranoid though I was, I had a feeling it would have been foolish of me to turn down his offer: freedom within the village in exchange for my complete cooperation.

It was that or imprisonment and torture. Naturally, the first had been more appealing. Despite what the old man- the _Hokage_- said, it was definitely captivity no matter how you looked at it.

Itachi continued to stare out the window.

"The only thing we can be certain of," the old man was saying, "is that you are not from this village."

I stiffened. As the words registered in my mind, the single phrase echoed over and over.

"…_you are not from this village."_

I had already figured as much, but to hear it confirmed like that, as though it meant nothing, was difficult to hear.

He had said it as more of an afterthought than anything else, but that statement meant so much more to me. It meant that my family- if I had any- was not here. It meant that I wouldn't be able to find them by staying in this village. It meant that I was back to square one. It meant that, within this village, I was still truly and utterly alone.

And it scared me. It scared me more than anything else had since I had awoken in that forest only to find my memories gone. It scared me more than when I had thought those men were going to abduct and eventually rape me. It scared me more than any torture or threats the interrogator could possibly throw at me. Because even through those times I had still been able to hold onto the hope – no matter how minuscule – that my family was near. The cold, hard fact that they were not and that I was alone scared me because when you're alone there is no one there to help you; no one waiting for you; no one to help you get back up on your feet when you fall; no one to hold you and tell you everything will be alright… no one to care if you died.

So yeah, after all this time, I was finally scared down to the core of my soul.

And this fear would not release its icy grip on my heart anytime soon.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 5

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 5**

I walked beside my personal guard in silence. What more was there to say?

Though the meeting between the village leader and myself had gone better than expected (especially considering the scene he had walked in on), it was evident that nothing could be done to make this situation any less confusing than it already was. I was stuck here until either my memories came back or my family (if I had any) was found.

In either case, it was going to be a long wait.

I glanced over at Itachi, equally silent in his effort to keep me from causing trouble.

We were just walking down the street and already he was stressing over possible threats. He wouldn't say anything of course, but his steps were quick, his movements were sharp, and he never stopped glancing around like everything was out to get him – or get me.

Not that I blamed him. The villagers we passed stared constantly and started gossiping between themselves the second they were out of our direct line of sight. Obviously they didn't care if we overheard every word they whispered behind our backs.

In the few minutes since I had walked out of the Hokage Tower, I had learnt more about Itachi and his family than I had in the few days I had known him.

As we had passed a pair of women, one blonde and the other a brunette, I had listened in on their conversation, gathering what information I could. The blonde had been babbling excitedly while the brunette had looked slightly confused though still obviously interested.

"I thought Uchiha Itachi was going on another mission?" The brunette said as the blonde took a moment to breathe.

"Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Apparently his ANBU team found some strange girl in the Forest of Death a couple days back and she's been staying at the Uchiha compound."

"Really? Do you think that's the girl?"

I had felt myself tense as I became the subject of their gossiping.

"I don't know. I've never seen her around Konoha before."

"Must be her then…"

I had lost the rest of what the women were saying as we passed out of hearing range. I filed away Itachi's alleged _mission_, the Forest of Death where I was apparently found, and the fact that Itachi's house seemed commonly known. I didn't bother working around the knowledge that the women had never seen me before. I already knew I wasn't from around here…

Pushing aside that slightly depressing thought, I zeroed in on an older husband and wife pair. The man was glancing over a stall offering strange fruits that I didn't recognize. The woman, however, had just caught a glimpse of Itachi and I out of the corner of her eye and after staring for a second too long, had turned to her husband, whispering excitedly in his ear. The husband attempted to swat her away, complaining loudly about the fact the he had to 'actually eat this supposedly healthy garbage', but she was persistent.

Looking away as we passed, I listened in, which wasn't hard to do as the husband's voice easily rose above the others in the busy street.

"Quit yellin', woman. It's bad enough you're makin' me buy this crap without you hollerin' in m'ear as well."

"But look, Ryu! It's that Uchiha boy, and he's got a_ girl_ with him."

"What? Where?"

"There! Just down the street."

I could almost feel the finger I knew was pointing directly at my retreating back and I unconsciously quickened my pace, trying to escape the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. Itachi's swiftly darting eyes moved their sights to me as I pulled slightly ahead of him. When he continued walking normally, however, I forced myself to slow down. His seeming unconcern with the talk centered upon us was comforting in a way that was surprising to me.

Ignoring the pestering comments as best I could, I reflected back on the conversation I had just heard. It then occurred to me that I wasn't the one being pointed out and targeted here – it was Itachi. I was only being identified by being by his side and the rumors that were already flying around about my sudden and strange appearance in the village.

None of them identified me as being an outsider just from looking at me and I took a little comfort in that fact. Absently, I wondered who had let it slip that I was here.

"Itachi!"

The loud, male voice overpowered all others in the vicinity of about five blocks.

"Itachi! Hey, wait up!"

I stopped out of polite instinct and then realized that Itachi had not stopped with me. Watching him continue down the road alone, I stood rooted to the spot.

Would this be all it took to get away? I didn't have the tracking bracelet on yet – it still had to be made. Could I do it now? Should I run?

_Run._

My flight instinct took over and I spun to bolt in the opposite direction of the assumed threat –

-and walked right into another one.

I took one step and collided with a wall of solid muscle. Still running on instinct, I backed up a step and turned to run in another direction but this time a strong hand closed around my wrist, preventing me from sprinting away and closing off my best chance of escape.

"Whoa there," I heard the voice that had been yelling at Itachi say.

I glared up at the man holding my arm captive, adrenaline still pumping in overdrive through my veins. He was taller than Itachi and obviously older, with the highly muscled body of someone who worked out a lot. His black, sleeveless shirt drew attention to that fact. Yet, despite that hard-earned muscle, he still looked as lean as Itachi did. He had short, spiky hair and wore the same high-collared shirt as Itachi. His hair and eyes were the same black as Itachi's, but lines of his face were not as sharp and those eyes shone with youthful exuberance along with the steely intelligence I had come to recognize in my personal bodyguard.

They must be related, I deduced, and that deduction did not win him any points with me.

Smiling at me as I did my best to skewer him with my glare, he held out his free hand. The other was still busy keeping me from running.

"Uchiha Shisui," he said, introducing himself.

"I don't care who you are," I snarled, ignoring his offered hand. "Let me go!"

I yanked at my arm knowing it was futile.

"Don't you remember me?" He faked a hurt look.

My heart skipped a beat. _He knew me?_

"I was there when Itachi found you, remember?"

My knees went weak with disappointment so heavy it nearly pushed me to the ground.

_So close…_

Shisui mistook my black stare as confirmation that I didn't remember.

"Well, I was wearing my mask so-" he started to explain.

"Shisui."

I didn't bother to turn around at Itachi's voice. It's not like it mattered anyway. I had felt so close – so close to finding out who I was, and then it had been ripped away in matter of seconds. It was cruel, the way life seemed to enjoy tormenting me.

"Oh, hey Itachi," Shisui said cheerfully, not at all daunted by my depressive silence.

"Seems your little Kitten managed to get away from you," he teased.

Itachi just pinned him with a silent glare.

"_Kitten_?" I scoffed.

Shisui turned his undiminished smile on me.

"Yeah," he said. "Kitten."

Then he reached out and ruffled my hair before I had a chance to react.

"Hey!" I yelled, scowling at my abuser.

Shisui just smiled at me before turning back to Itachi.

"I guess you're going to be off regular missions for awhile then."

Itachi nodded solemnly.

"I bet your father isn't happy about that."

Twin coals narrowed.

"What he wants doesn't matter. It's the Hokage's decision to make, not his."

Shisui's open smile disappeared as he frowned at Itachi.

"You should be more careful with what you say," he warned.

The sudden tense atmosphere between the two males as they stared at each other was a palpable thing, and it made my instincts twitchy. I hesitantly took a step back, trying to make myself as small as possible. The second I went to take another step, however, both of them directed their stares on me.

"Um…" For a couple of seconds there, they had seemed… truly dangerous. Dangerous like when I had first met them.

"Weren't we going somewhere?"

"Yes," Itachi answered.

"Well, then," I continued. "Let's get going."

Itachi frowned. Shisui blinked. Then the older shinobi began laughing.

He laughed even harder when Itachi glared at him, exasperation in his expression. Shisui's laughter was contagious and I soon found myself chuckling along with him for no reason at all other than for the enjoyment of a good laugh.

The ease of the laughter surprised me; I had not expected to be able to do such a thing so freely and so soon after everything that had happened, and for that, I was grateful. Tenseness and anger temporarily forgotten, I gave Shisui a hesitant, yet friendly smile; I was not used to being happy in these unfamiliar surroundings.

"Look at that. She smiles," he teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

Shisui's friendly banter was comforting. And that made me wary of him. With Itachi, I knew where I stood: he was a loyal soldier and I was an unknown variable that he dealt with as necessary. But Shisui was an enigma. Like Itachi, he was a soldier and easily fell into that role, if what I saw in the forest was any indication. Yet, he was also able to shed that military persona just as easily. This ability of his to shift from one state of mind to another had me wondering which state was real and which was really a mask.

In any case, I would be cautious around them both. I had already seen enough during my short time in this village to connect the leaf-markings with 'threat'.

So, instead of continuing the disarming chat with Shisui, I turned in the direction which Itachi and I had been heading in before and started walking. The boys let me get ahead of them and I was quickly out of earshot. Glancing, I could see that they were talking but I couldn't make out their conversation.

After a minute or two, Itachi came up beside me. Shisui wasn't with him but I didn't bother asking where he went. I knew I wouldn't get an answer.

"Here," Itachi said, holding out a small brown bag, secured with a pull string. Something clinked inside as I took it.

"Money?" I questioned.

The young ANBU nodded. I looked at the innocuous bag, slightly confused.

"Why are you giving me money?"

"It's not much. Just enough to buy a few essentials: clothing, toiletries, and the like."

"Oh."

Itachi's eyes moved my way briefly before returning to scouting the passersby.

"My mother is the only female living in our family residence. Her clothes would be too big for you and you require other essentials of your own as well. It is only logical for the Hokage to provide these necessities for you while you remain with us."

"Ah. It's the old man's money." Well, he was more thoughtful than I had given him credit for.

"So, you're taking me on a shopping trip?" I smirked at my guard and guide.

"No," he replied briskly. "I will keep watch from a distance. Do as you wish until it is time to return to the compound."

Strangely, I felt sort of disappointed. Maybe it was just the missed opportunity to torture the guy who seemed to enjoy making my life more difficult than necessary.

I opened the bag to find a decent number of coins nestled within it. Maybe this shopping trip wouldn't be so bad after all.

Half the day, five large bags, and a great meal at Ichiraku later, I started looking for a place to sit down and rest. Eventually, I passed by a large tree with an old swing hanging down from its branches. Collapsing into it, I looked around curiously.

Just then a bunch of children streamed out of the building in front of me, all of them running and full of excitement. I was observing the mass of tiny bodies when I recognized a face moving along with the rest.

Sasuke.

Happy to see the kid again, I got up moved towards the young child, lugging my purchases with me. As I did so, one of my oversized bags accidently knocked over a little, blond haired boy as he headed for the swing that I had been sitting on. Absently I recognized him as the blonde from that first time at the ramen shop.

"Sorry," I apologized, but the boy just picked himself up, brushed himself off and continued on over to the swing where he sat down but did not swing. I watched him go with concern but didn't interfere. I had no place in this village to enter into the lives of its children.

When I reached Sasuke, two girls were talking at him while he looked like he desperately needed to escape from their chatter. One had blonde hair while the other had hair that was bright pink. I marveled over the color of the second girl's hair for a second before I interrupted, hoping to free Sasuke from the obviously one-sided conversation.

"Hey there, Sasuke," I greeted.

Relief washed over his face when he spotted me but then he started fidgeting. Obviously he still wasn't completely comfortable around me yet, or at least he wasn't when his brother wasn't around.

"Hi," he responded quietly.

"Who are your friends?" I asked, smirking a little and teasing the kid.

Sasuke hesitated and the blonde took the chance to jump right in.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino," she exclaimed with all the pride of a six year-old.

The pink-haired one added only slightly more neutrally, "Haruno Sakura."

"Hello Yamanaka-chan, Haruno-chan. My name is…" I hesitated a second, still unwilling to use my newly appointed name. Realizing I had no choice though, I took a breath and said it.

"Amaya."

The two girls shared a look with each other at my hesitation.

"Did you remember your name?" Sasuke piped up. I had forgotten Sasuke didn't know about my official naming earlier that day so I opened my mouth to explain it to him when I was interrupted.

"Why don't you have a family name?" It was the blonde, curiosity getting the better of her manners.

My cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment.

"Um… Well… You see…" I struggled with how I was going to explain the concept of amnesia to the child but was saved by the arrival of my appointed guardian.

"Time to go," was his version of a greeting. Although, I suppose he never did really leave me.

"Alright," I said. I had accepted that it would probably be best for me to comply with everything I was told (within reason, of course) until I knew more about myself. As long as they kept up their promise to help me, I would up hold my promise to not get into trouble.

The two little girls took this time to wave goodbye to Sasuke and move off down the street. I could hear them arguing loudly as they marched away.

Amused at their young theatrics, I reached to pick up the bags that I had placed on the ground as I spoke with the children. Before my hand could grab the handles, however, Itachi had lifted the heavy bags himself and was starting to walk away without saying a word.

"Uh… thanks?" Shaking my head, I turned to Sasuke.

"Do you want a ride?" I said, reaching down to pick him up.

Sasuke didn't say anything for a second but then he gave a slight nod. Smiling, I picked him up and moved after Itachi with Sasuke in my arms. I had to jog for a couple minuted just to catch up with his brisk pace.

The entire way back to the Uchiha compound was silent. Itachi did say a word and I didn't bother attempting to start a futile conversation. Sasuke didn't last five minutes before he fell asleep, head resting on my shoulder.

By the time we arrived at the door to the compound, my arms were ready to lay down and die.

Once we were inside, Itachi set my purchases by the entrance and reached out for Sasuke. I gratefully passed off my unconscious bundle, rubbing my arms to get the circulation going again.

Moving down the hallway, Itachi took the lead. In my head I told myself that it was only because I didn't know my way around yet. My body argued that I just wanted to stare at him. I was inclined to agree with the later.

On our way Itachi stopped at an unfamiliar room and I waited outside as he put Sasuke into bed. Coming out a minute later, he didn't even look at me, just continued down the hall. I shook my head, brushing it off. I was used to Itachi's unemotional, yet effective attitude towards tasks.

When he continued past the room I had woken up in, however, I paused, suddenly unsure.

What, I didn't even get a 'goodnight'? I scoffed at myself for even thinking of the idea that Itachi would ever do such a thing. Slinking dejectedly into my room, I despaired at how hospital like it seemed with its white walls and absolutely no color. No, scratch that, even hospitals had more color than this.

A knock at the door that I had closed behind me startled me. I opened it and was surprised to see Itachi standing there with his arms folded across his chest and a scowl on his face.

"What are you doing?" he demanded.

I blinked. "Uh, going to sleep?"

I swear he nearly rolled his eyes.

"Not here."

"What?" I squawked. He couldn't seriously be throwing me out. Could he?

"Follow me," he said and then turned and walked away.

Confused, and more than a little suspicious, I followed him down the hall, down a couple more, then into a more familiar one. I stared at him when he stopped in front of a door I instantly recognized.

"Here?" I asked, disbelieving.

He nodded and opened the door.

"It is the only way I can watch you adequately until the bracelet is made," he explained. Then he went in, leaving the door open behind him.

I stood there in shock. He couldn't be serious. He had to be joking. He couldn't possibly want me to sleep _here_ of all places. Not a fucking chance in hell.

"Come in or I will make you."

Gulping in nervousness, I knew that he was serious and that I had no choice. It was going to be a long night. Then I walked through the door into Itachi's room.

**TBC**


	7. Chapter 6

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (06-28-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Chapter 6**

I cautiously followed Itachi into the darkened room. Tall bookshelves that had spiked my curiosity before now loomed ominously over me. I noticed that my bags had had already been placed at the end of Itachi's bed.

"The bathroom is over there," Itachi said, pointing.

I grimaced at the thought of the white yukata I had been wearing for the past couple days and darted for the bathroom door.

The first thought I had when I got there was, 'Thank god, a mirror!'

The second was, '_That_'s me?'

I looked horrible! My hair was an absolute ragged mess, I had dark, sleepless shadows under my eyes, and my cheeks still had blotchy spots from previous crying. The previously white yukata was crinkled, tear-stained, and streaked with dirt. I looked like a zombie!

I had a lot of work to do. So I scrounged through my purchases for the much needed supplies. I successfully found the shampoo, conditioner, soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a hairbrush, turned on the shower's faucet, and stripped while I waited for the water to warm. A knock on the door interrupted me just as I was about to step in.

"Hello?" I asked.

"What are you doing in there?" Seriously?

"What does it sound like I'm doing? I'm taking a shower."

A moment of silence.

"Don't take too long."

I rolled my eyes. I was female; I couldn't help but take a long shower after not having one for – well, who know how long.

I listened as his footsteps moved away then stepped into the blissfully hot water.

"_Heaven_," I moaned.

Using the soap, I viciously scrubbed my body until my skin started turning pink. That done, I slathered the shampoo liberally into my hair, not bothering to attempt to undo the tangles and knots at this point. The soap had been unscented but the shampoo had a slight smell to it, almost floral but I couldn't place it. Shaking my head amusedly I rinsed and moved on to the conditioner. This too had the slight floral smell and I let it soak into my hair in an attempt to loosen up the knots as I breathed it in. It smelt nice.

After a minute or so of soaking it, I began the daunting task of coaxing my hair into a more manageable shape. I ran my fingers through the knots, snagging them often and having to nearly rip the dark red strands apart. I briefly thought of cutting it short after this but dismissed the idea almost immediately. My family might not recognize me as well with short hair.

After almost ten minutes of working at the knots and tangles, my hair was relatively knot free. The conditioner was long since rinsed out too, so I just shut off the tap and reached for the fluffy white towel hanging on a hook beside the shower. 'Was that there when I had gotten in?' I wondered. I couldn't remember.

Ten minutes later saw me cozily wrapped up in my new pyjamas and ready for some much needed rest.

_I could see the woman from my previous dreams. She had long flowing hair that reached down to her hips. It was the same colour I remembered observing in my own hair, a dark red. She wore a traditional cream-coloured kimono as she knelt over a lush garden, absorbed in her work. Focusing on a small bush with tiny, golden flowers that I didn't know the name of, the woman continued pruning the bush, unaware that she was being observed._

Where am I?_ I wondered. This was not what I last remembered. It was all very confusing, to say the least._

_I stepped forward, intent on questioning the woman, when the quiet garden scene suddenly shifted to one teeming with human life. Small children played jubilantly on the park structures under the watchful eyes of their mothers, fathers, siblings, aunts, or uncles, at least one always within arms reach of their young one._

_Even knowing that I had to be in some kind of dream, I attempted to make contact with one of the parents. This dream was different than my previous ones where I had had no control over what happened in it. This time, I felt as though I were within the scenes themselves and able to affect them._

_However, as I approached, they took absolutely no notice of me, as though I wasn't even there. Then I again noticed the same red-haired woman from the garden and my previous dreams. She was moving around after a little girl of about 3 years of age. The little girl had her mother's hair colour and I also recognized her from my dreams. Me? I wondered._

_Curious, I watched them a little longer, wondering where this dream could be leading me. Unlike the last time, which I remembered quite well, this was not dark or gloomy or frightening in the least. Instead, it was calming and warm, with a soothing air that made you feel as though everything was alright with the world._

_The tiny toddler I had been observing ran around the slide in joyous glee, managing to avoid her mother's hands as they reached for her when she got too far. The girl's father was nowhere in sight._

_Still succeeding in staying a step ahead of her now annoyed mother, the little one rushed past the other playing children towards the swings behind me. The child didn't seem to see me._

_About to step out of her way, I watched as she tripped over the edge of the jungle gym's sand pit. Reaching down instinctively to catch her as she fell, my arms merely ghosted right through her tumbling body._

_Amazed and shocked I watched as the girl landed hard and her mother rushed, yelling, to her side. Crying with tears running down her porcelain face, the small child was immediately scooped up into her mother's arms and held close as she embraced her daughter._

_After a few moments though, the older woman shifted the girl back until they were face to face. Speaking comforting words to her daughter, I heard with surprise the mother telling her daughter to heal the scraps on her tiny hands._

_Completely baffled and not understanding at all what was going on with this bizarre dream, I merely stood speechless, unable to think._

"_Here, I'll show you," the mother was saying._

_She raised one hand in front of the little girl and a second later it began glowing a soft coppery-red colour. What was even stranger, or almost as strange, was that none of the people around the playground, nor the daughter, seemed surprised at all. A few glanced over but no gazes lingered._

_The little girl lifted her hand to copy her mother. After a few moments, her hand flickered with the same colour as her mother's only fainter. It only lasted a second before it flickered again and went out. The girl's face scrunched up in juvenile frustration._

"_Why won't it work, mommy?" she questioned, waving her hand in front of her mother's face as though that would make her answer faster._

_The woman merely smiled. "Just try again," she said. "Just think hard about what you want to do and focus all of that thought on your hand."_

_The girl squeezed her eyes tight; concentrating with all her young mind's will power on bringing forth the small amount of iridescent light her mother had produced._

_When the girl's hand flared brightly after a few seconds of concentration, the girl's face broke into a smile of pure joy at her obvious accomplishment._

"_Amazing," the mother whispered to herself, though I could hear every word as though she were speaking directly to me. "Still so young…"_

_As I looked on, the wounds on the girl's glowing hand were instantly healed over. A minute later she managed to do the same with her other hand._

_On an inclination, I looked down at my own hands. Was I able to do such a thing? Heal myself as the young girl had? Itachi had mentioned that I had healed fast before, but I hadn't done that consciously..._

_Before I had the chance to test my theory the scene switched right before my eyes. The girls were the same but this time there was also a man in the picture._

_The mother and child were reclining on a large bed, secure under large, downy sheets that sheltered them from the cold penetrating the room through the glass of a window that showed a winter scene beyond it. Candles burned, offering muted lighting so that the woman could read to the child in her lap. The man, who I assumed to be the father, was seated on a high backed chair in the far corner of the room watching the loving scene, though not directly a part of it._

_I tried to get a better look at him but the shadows created by the candles hid any features from view and no matter how close I got, the shadows wouldn't dissipate. As the girl continued to listen to her mother, absorbed in the story, the man just sat there, saying nothing, not moving._

_Strange was the only way I could describe it. The feeling I got from it was one of discomfort, as though I was intruding in a private moment, which I supposed I was._

"…'_But that's too close to your mouth,' said the gingerbread man. 'You're going to eat me!' 'I told you, I don't like gingerbread!' the fox growled. 'Well, ok,' said the gingerbread man. And with that, he climbed onto the fox's snout…"_

_The story captured my attention. It was amazing how children's stories, while seeming so innocent and carefree, were able to impart the lessons of life within the thin folds of their pages, instructing unknowing minds on how to act, how to speak, how to feel, how to live. It was frightening, the powers these stories could hold._

"…_The minute the gingerbread man reached the fox's snout, the fox flipped his nose and sent the little cookie sailing into the air. The gingerbread man fell into the fox's mouth and disappeared with a slurp…"_

'Well, that sucks,'_ I thought._

"…'_I don't like gingerbread,' the fox growled as he reached the other side of the river. 'I _love_ gingerbread.' And had Mrs. Mixit been listening at that moment, she would have been very pleased for the fox said the gingerbread man was the best he had ever tasted."_

_How devious. The gingerbread man had been tricked and deceived by the sly fox and, in the end, was eaten. Obviously, the moral of this story was to never trust strangers._

"_Why did the fox eat the gingerbread man?" the little girl asked. "He was supposed to help the gingerbread man across the river."_

_The mother looked down at her daughter._

"_Not all people are nice," she said. "You have to be careful."_

_The girl stuck up her nose._

"_There are no bad people here," she said confidently._

"_And why is that?"_

_The girl's looked at her mother as though she had just asked the most obvious question in the world._

"_Because Daddy protects us," she said, smiling at her father, who was still seated in the corner._

_The mother's eyes widened in surprise and then she smiled at her husband as well. She patted her daughter on the head._

"_Of course, dear," she said, smiling._

"_Of course."_

It was probably the lack of Itachi's constant breathing that roused me again from my sleep. Upon opening my eyes, I found myself alone in the semi-dark room with the moonlight still streaming in from the open window. The bookcases lining the walls were shrouded in shadow.

I extricated myself from my mat on the floor and silently moved across the room. The first thing I did was try the door handle.

To my growing amazement, it was open. Peeking out first to make sure Itachi wasn't just outside waiting for me; I slipped out into the darkness of hallway where I was completely shrouded in shadow. Softly and slowly, I crept past closed door after closed door; not trying any of them for fear that there might be someone on the other side.

The end of the hallway halted my steps. The shoji screen doorway there was lit softly by a natural looking light on the other side. Testing my luck, I moved the screen open a sliver, just wide enough for me to peek through.

It was the moon that was giving off the light. The door led outside.

Not believing my luck, I slid the screen open the rest of the way and made my way out silently, sliding it shut behind me.

I was in a garden. Trees, bushes, shrubs, and flowers of every colour were bathed in the pale moonlight. A few of the trees were laden with ripe fruit, the varieties of which were utterly foreign to me. Berries decorated the bushes and I could see rows of earth-growing plants and vegetables farther down.

It was beautiful.

I giggled with girlish delight at having found such a paradise in this gloomy place and promptly stuffed my mouth full of juicy berries, sudden ravenous with late-night cravings.

Some of the berries were tart and some were sweet but all were delicious. The larger fruit followed at a more sedate pace. Tangy, sweet, and sour all blended on my tongue as I tried each and every one I could see.

Gathering a bunch in my arms to take with me, I began searching for a place to stash my horde when a sound stopped me in my tracks.

It sounded like something sharp hitting wood.

"_Thunk."_

I listened, trying to pinpoint the source.

"_Thunk."_

It was coming from deeper into the garden. Distracted by the fruit as I had been, I hadn't ventured far. Now I was curious about what was over there.

Setting down my bundle behind a thorny rose bush with peach-colour blossoms, I made my way as quietly as I could closer to the sound. It suddenly came in rapid succession and made me pause.

"_Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk."_

Like many other things I was experiencing recently, the sound was familiar but I couldn't pinpoint it. I listened again to see if I could recognize it but no more sounds came. The garden was suddenly dead silent.

I shuddered with nervousness. What was I thinking? I should have left with my food and been away by now.

I was turning back when I heard a sound that was distinctly human.

Laboured breathing.

Cursing my bad luck and terrified of being caught, I tensed to dart back the way I had come in case someone had spotted me.

After I had stood frozen for a couple minutes and the unknown person had moved neither closer nor farther away, curiosity once again became dominate in my mind.

Cautiously creeping forward and avoiding the few branches that littered the small path, I drew nearer and nearer. Pushing aside the hanging branches of a red-fruit bearing tree, I caught my first glimpse of the source of the sound.

My breath left me in a sort of half strangled gasp and I clasped my hand over my mouth to stop it from reaching the ears of the person not a few feet from me.

It was Itachi.

And it looked like he was fighting an invisible enemy with all his rapid kicks, turns, and movements. There were a couple times when my eyes couldn't even follow his movements, they were so fast.

And he was shirtless.

And covered in sweat.

And now I knew why he was so nicely toned.

My ogling, of course, came to a halt when he looked my way.

Blushing furiously, I dove back into the cover of the trees, racing in the direction of the compound and ruthlessly berating myself for getting caught.

Naturally I didn't get far.

Itachi's hand enveloped my wrist and pulled me back to the little clearing. He didn't let go as he turned me to face him and demanded what I was doing there.

I turned my head away and stubbornly refused to answer.

Itachi's free hand came up to grasp my chin and forced my eyes to meet his. Once again they were blank of all emotion. I couldn't even catch a glimpse of anger in those bottomless black depths.

He asked me again, "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing," I muttered mulishly.

His eyes narrowed slightly but otherwise no emotion escaped from his internal grasp.

It was probably wrong to provoke him but I was already half crazed with fear and adrenaline so I wasn't exactly in my right mind.

"What are _you_ doing here?" I taunted. "Aren't you supposed to be _guarding_ me?"

The grip on my chin tightened and I could feel the heat from his hand on my skin. His eyes flashed once with suppressed anger and a fearful chill enveloped my quickened heart.

"I have better things to do than guard _you_," he replied, his words harsh.

Then the hands holding my face and arm let go and he was moving away before I even had a chance to catch my breath.

"Leave."

The stoic command was like a blow to my chest after I had already had the breath knocked out of me. I stood there like a fool trying to clench my hands tightly enough to stop them from shaking and failing magnificently.

Itachi's black eyes pierced mine as he resumed tossing what I could now see were kunai into an old tree, never looking away from me.

Gulping heavily, I fought to get the fear, hurt, and anger that threatened to overwhelm me back under control.

I managed to turn around stiffly and near-ran all the way back to the shoji screen that I had come out of what seemed like ages ago. Leaning on the wall and gasping from my little sprint, I delayed going in for as long as I could. Looking back into the trees I could just make out tiny flickers of movement between their branches.

Why had I reacted like that? Somehow, I got the impression that people did not normally react so strongly when they sensed a threat. Rather, everyone seemed self-sufficient in that respect, even at a young age. Yet my hands were still trembling.

Why was I so different? First the healing thing, now all those feelings. I knew I had reacted strongly before but I had always assumed it was just shock from the amnesia. It was just all raw emotion with me, it seemed.

Deliberately turning my mind away from continuing that thought, I slunk down to lean my back against the wall and decided to wait for Itachi there. I had no desire to return to his room like an obedient little captive now that I had my composure back (more or less). I could always try running away again, but I knew how that would end.

So I waited.

And waited.

I ate a piece of the fruit I had collected earlier then waited some more.

And waited.

I yawned.

And waited.

When my eyes began to droop and I knew that I had to get up and do something or else risk falling asleep right then and there.

Fighting off the fatigue, I resolved to satisfy my curiosity and find out why what Itachi was doing that was more important than guarding me. Screw him and his orders.

Moving through the trees, not bothering to be quiet about it, I came upon Itachi still shirtless and sweating as he performed sharp, swift movements with various kunai. Every time he threw them, they each hit their target dead on. Not one mistake.

"I thought I told you to leave," he said.

"No," I said determinedly.

He paused, mid-throw, to scowl at me. I scowled back.

"Fine," he consented, to my unending surprise. "Just don't bother me."

Then he finished his throw, my annoyance passed, and my curiosity returned full force.

"What are you doing anyway?" I asked.

"Training. Now be quiet," he said.

I stuck my tongue out at him when one of his lunges caused him to turn his back on me.

"What kind of training?"

"Not a kind of training you would know about."

Well, that was uncalled for. He just had to bring up my amnesia. And now I was pissed.

"Then show me," I challenged.

Itachi turned back and looked at me. His expression was hard but he actually seemed to be considering it. I'll admit that the possibility of training with Itachi excited me.

"You should be sleeping," he said.

"So should you," I countered.

He frowned but didn't say anything to that.

"Please?" I gritted out.

Itachi seemed to let out a sigh and reached over to grab another kunai from where it had embedded itself into a tree.

"Maybe just a couple of moves."

I clapped my hands with glee, smirking widely.

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 7

**IMPORATANT NOTE FOR PAST READERS!  
****A/N (07-09-13): Please see the A/N in the Prologue.**

**A Red Rose  
****Day 4: Morning**

Time seemed to move on into forever as Itachi quickly had me sweating profusely and gasping for breath from the exertion.

"Ready?" he asked, once again moving his hands up into a fighting stance.

"No," I croaked. "A few more minutes."

"I've already given you a minute."

"Nng," I groaned.

Itachi lowered his hands and reached for a flask of water that he had left nearby.

"Here," he said, offering me the water.

I took it without hesitation, gulping down the contents in seconds. The cool water was refreshing and helped me slow my speeding heart rate.

The training had all been physical and Itachi was a very demanding taskmaster. His speed, agility, and power were all exponentially greater than mine, and that fact was made painfully evident in the sparring sessions between us.

After showing me a couple of base moves, he had tried to get me to hit him. Obviously, I had failed. He had either dodged or blocked my kicks and punches every time so I couldn't land a single blow. He was much more advanced than I was but I was also quickly improving.

"How about we take a break," I suggested, crossing my fingers.

Itachi seemed to hesitate but then he nodded and sat down on the grass. I sat down about a foot from him. I was still wary enough not to get too close.

"Is it just me, or is it getting lighter?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Dawn is coming," Itachi replied.

"Really?" I said, startled. "Already?"

He nodded, gazing up at the lightening sky.

"Have you had, like, _any_ sleep?" I was shocked we had stayed out so long, but at least I had already had a couple hours of sleep.

"I'm fine," he said, still not turning away from the breaking dawn.

"That doesn't answer my question," I scolded.

His eyes were suspicious when he turned to face me.

"Why do you care?" It was a genuine question with no antagonism in it.

I blinked for a second. Why _did_ I care?

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's just one of my many traits to actually care about people." Unlike _some_ people.

He didn't answer me. Instead he stood up and motioned back to the house.

"We should head back."

I rolled my eyes at his evasiveness but stood up to follow him nonetheless.

When we came out from underneath the canopy of trees I saw that the sky was actually much lighter than I had thought.

"How long were we there?" I asked, amazed so much time had passed under those trees.

Itachi looked back at the sun peeking over the horizon.

"A few hours," he answered.

_Time flies when you're having fun... or working yourself to the bone_, I mused. So much for beauty sleep.

"Can I ask you a question?" Itachi started, not looking at me.

"Uh...sure?"

"When you were being questioned by my father," – Ah, so the man _was_ his dad. – "and then threatened, you reacted... strongly."

Well, that was an understatement.

"That's not a question," I hedged.

"My question is: Why?"

I shrugged, "I honestly don't know for sure. I can make a guess though..."

I hesitated on how much I should actually reveal about what I had guessed.

"Ok, what is your best guess then?" Itachi continued.

"Well," I figured I might as well lay it all out there, "I've been having these dreams that could possibly be memories coming to the surface while I'm unconscious."

We had reached the house but Itachi stopped at the entrance without moving to go inside. I supposed that there was more privacy out in the garden than inside the house so that worked for me. I wasn't interested in sharing my dreams with anyone else at the moment.

I continued, "The first dream happened at one point when I had collapsed from exhaustion in the forest you found me in. I was younger – maybe about seven or so – and I was scared. I was alone in a large house that was completely empty of everything.

"The second dream came after you had rescued me from the forest. Unlike the first, I wasn't a direct part of this dream. At first it was a sequence of scenes that spanned a number of years of a happy family of four: a mother, a father, a younger daughter and an older son. But then it took a dark turn. Some guy in a mask directed a mob to the family's home. The mother, father, and son were all killed. I didn't see what happened to the daughter."

I shuddered. Even days later, the dream still seemed so real to me.

"The first dream had been almost purely emotional and second dream had felt distant and fuzzy – like watching something through a fog – but the third dream was longer and more detailed either of the others. The same mother and daughter from the previous dream were in a park. The kid hurt herself but her mom showed her how to heal her injuries. Then the mother and daughter were in a bedroom with the father and the mother was reading to the girl. The kid said that her father protected them from bad people."

Throughout my brief explanation, Itachi had been listening keenly and now he seemed thoughtful, contemplating what I had said.

"How old would you say the girl was when she hurt herself in the park?" was his first question after a few moments of consideration.

"Maybe around four years old."

"Hn... And what was the oldest approximate age of the girl during the second dream sequences?"

"About eight, I'd guess, but I don't know how much time passed between that scene and the family's... murder. The boy's body looked to maybe be a teenager but still young... maybe 14?"

"How much older was the boy from the girl?"

"Possibly two years. So if the boy was 14, that would make the girl..."

My voice broke as the implications hit me.

Itachi finished for me, "That would make her about your age."

His gaze on me I could almost describe as compassionate.

"I have to ask," he began, "but did she look at all like you?"

"...yes," I whispered. "She did." And even if the similarities hadn't been obvious, I still couldn't ignore the feeling deep in my heart. That was my family that I had seen.

And they were dead. Hot tears blurred my vision and began running down my face.

"How am I supposed to find out who I am if the people who knew me the best are dead?" I cried.

Itachi didn't have an answer to that question. So he changed the subject.

"How do your dreams relate to your reaction earlier?" he inquired.

It was difficult, but I managed to force my despair to the side for now. I could not allow myself to dwell on an uncertain future and an even more mysterious past when the here and now needed to be dealt with. So, for the time being, tears would be wiped away and any rioting emotions would be buried.

"Well, when you were holding the kunai to my throat," I unconsciously felt the white fabric still wrapped there, "all I could think about was the cut that it had made and that I was bleeding. Truthfully, it was more the blood itself that was the issue."

I winced as I worked to recall the memory that I had purposefully buried as much as was possible.

"It felt like I was... afraid of it. No, not really afraid of the blood itself... It was more like the blood _caused_ the fear."

I wrapped my arms around myself as a chill danced down my spine and I had to force myself to continue my thought.

"I think I was traumatized from before I can remember and I think that blood had something to do with it. Going off my dreams, I'd say it was the... death of my family. All the blood really stood out in that one."

A single tear escaped as my eyes closed from the internal pain and suddenly a warm hand was wiping away that tear.

My eyes opened again to look into twin dark depths. But the darkness in them wasn't frightening to me now. Rather, it was like the comforting darkness that protects a child when they hide under their blanket from the things that scare them in the outside world. Slowly, I was coming to accept Itachi as my protector in this strange and unfamiliar village full of strange and unfamiliar people.

Itachi's hand moved back to its usual place at his side, close to his weapons. I could still feel his touch on my cheek.

"That would also explain your adverse to it when you bit me." I watched as a small smirk appeared on Itachi's lips.

_That_ memory brought back a little of the warmth and flushed my cheeks with embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I belatedly apologized. "But you were pissing me off."

The smirk widened to an actual smile, the first I had seen on his face. "You're forgiven." He held up his hand. "It's nearly healed anyways."

I returned his smile. "So," he continued, "You think you were traumatized sometime in the past – possibly when your family was supposedly murdered – and you think that this trauma has caused you to become... afraid of blood?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," I said as my smile and the good feelings quickly faded away again. "What I did... It was kind of instinctive, like a defence mechanism or something. I didn't really have any control over it. I just kind of saw the blood and panicked… or something."

I shrugged. It was hard to describe when it didn't even make sense to me.

"Can we just let this go for the moment?" I begged. I had no desire to run through the emotional gambit all over again. Itachi didn't say anything in reply but he seemed to be letting it go for the moment as he finally turned to walk inside the compound.

He led the way through the maze-like corridors and I followed, going over the moves Itachi had shown me in my mind to avoid thinking of our conversation and the revelations that it had led to. I was so deep in the replay that at first I didn't recognize the voice that stopped Itachi in his tracks.

"Where are you going?" it asked smoothly.

I managed to stop myself before I crashed into Itachi for the second time. Then I looked up and saw who had spoken, wondering how the hell I hadn't recognized it.

It was Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi's father and the police chief.

It was the first time I had seen him since I had blacked out after meeting him and my details on that incident were still a little fuzzy, but he looked _angry_.

I moved slightly behind Itachi, not that I expected him to protect me or anything. He was just better equipped to handle this than I was. Not to mention that I had the _slightest_ inkling that this man hated me.

"Answer me," he said in that same smooth voice that was completely bellied by the anger in his expression.

Itachi just stared back at him, as calm and composed as ever.

"We were going to the kitchen to get some food," he replied smoothly. "Is that alright, _Father_?" Only that last word contained a bit of emotion in it, almost as though it had been gritted out.

By my judgement, Fugaku looked ready to turn purple but I may have been a little bias, having a bodyguard who tended to show as much emotion as a rock and all.

"We need to talk, Itachi," his father ground out then glared at me. "Alone." Then he gestured towards the open door he had come out of. From what I could see, it was the same room that I had first met him in.

Itachi walked fluidly past him, no hesitation or fear in his steps, temporarily leaving me in the hallway with the madman. With a last cursory glance at me, Fugaku followed his son through the door and closed it behind him.

Before the door shut completely, however, he gave me one last parting comment.

"Watch yourself," he warned. "One suspicious move and I will take any step necessary to neutralize the threat to me and mine."

A death glare was the only proper response to such antagonistic language.

Once there was a barrier between us and I was alone, I hesitated. I wasn't going to run – I knew now that I wouldn't get far even if Itachi didn't notice right away – but I had no idea where else to go.

As I stood there contemplating what I should do, I caught the sound of murmurs coming from behind the thin shoji screen. Taking a step closer, I could make out the voiced of Itachi and his father, though not quite what they were saying.

Hmmm... I took a moment's consideration, then pressed my ear to the door with a devilish grin.

"This route is quite the detour from going from your room to the kitchens, Itachi."

"Yes, Father, but a necessary detour. Amaya-san was feeling lightheaded so I took her to the gardens for the fresh air," Itachi lied flawlessly.

It took me a second to realize that the 'Amaya' who he was referring to was actually me. I still wasn't used to my recently appointed name.

"I didn't sense you walking by earlier. How long does it take for someone to get some _fresh air_."

"She was admiring Mother's plants and the night was mild enough so I allowed her to linger."

Well, technically I had been admiring the foliage while I had been out there; though that hadn't been what drew me there, nor had it been what made me stay. That had been all Itachi. But if I hadn't know the truth myself, I would have believed Itachi's effortless and convincing lies.

There was silence for a moment, during which I assumed the elder Uchiha was deciding whether or not to believe his son. In the end, he fell for Itachi's falsehoods.

"Alright, but no more midnight strolls. From now on, I want her inside the compound buildings before night fall and she does not leave until the break of dawn. Am I clear?"

Silence.

"Yes, Father."

Well, damn. Fugaku appeared to be extremely determined to keep me a prisoner here while everyone else seemed fine with letting me have at least some semblance of freedom. The jerk.

"Also, until her status is known, keep your distance from this girl. For all we know, she could be just some worthless kid off the streets with no family name or heritage what-so-ever."

That had me bristling with indignation. My _status_? I may not have any family here – they may even be dead – but that didn't necessarily mean that I was some poor, penniless, homeless kid and the allusion that I was pricked at my floundering self-esteem. I was _not_ a nobody. I had had a family... once. And it was a good family, a nice family – at least from what I had seen in my dreams.

I ground my teeth together to keep from barging right in there and speaking my mind to the arrogant man's face. Around here that would only get me in trouble. To redirect my anger, I pressed my ear to the door once again and listened intently for Itachi's reply.

"I don't think she's from some nameless family," he said, defending me.

"What makes you say that?"

"Her skill level in taijutsu suggests that she comes from a family with an extensive heritage of shinobi."

I was slightly shocked. Okay, I was really shocked, and surprised, that Itachi didn't reveal that I had dreamed of my family. He was keeping that information from his father.

Why?

Not that I was complaining – I had known that I was taking that risk when I had told Itachi in the first place. But what motivation would the seemingly loyal shinobi have for lying to his own father?

"Hmmm... that is true. But we still do not know for sure, so keep a careful eye on her."

"Of course, Father."

I would have to consider the possibility of my guardian being a pathological liar later as I heard one speaker move toward the door.

It opened and Itachi stepped out.

Outwardly, he appeared as in control as ever, but I could see the marks of strain around his eyes and could sense his heightened alertness in the way he moved. He was holding himself in check.

"Follow me," he ordered briskly before moving down the hallway. I quickly caught up with his long stride.

Glancing his way once, I whispered, "Thank you."

"For what?" Itachi returned without slowing.

"For not telling him about my dreams," I expanded.

Itachi finally looked at me and his pace slowed incrementally.

"We still do not know for sure whether those dreams were just dreams or actually memories. It would be unwise to base conclusions on unconfirmed information."

Implying that his father would have jumped to those conclusions had he told him.

"Well, thanks anyway."

Itachi's eyes met mine again and this time they didn't look away.

"Then you're welcome." His voice was full of something that I didn't yet want to define.

Breaking our stare, I noticed that we had unconsciously stopped moving as we had spoken.

Ok... Time to change the subject.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"To clean up and then to get your tracking bracelet," he replied immediately.

The tracker which would put an end to any chance I had of escaping and eluding capture. Although, admittedly, any of those chances had probably disappeared the moment I had met Itachi. A resigned sigh passed my lips as I accepted that I was about to place my fate fully in the hands of this still unfamiliar village.

"You'll explain everything about this village and what goes on here to me afterwards, right?" I demanded. "I was promised an explanation and an attempt at finding my home in exchange for my cooperation, even if my family isn't there."

"I know what you were promised," Itachi intoned. "I was there."

"Just checking," I muttered.

After a quick shower and change, we were on our way to what Itachi succinctly informed me was the Hokage Tower. The walk itself was done in near perfect silence as Itachi was still unwilling to reveal anything to me until I was properly banded, like a wild bird captured from the forest, and I really had no idea what to say to get a conversation going. What kind of normal conversation would we be able to have anyway?

So instead, I took the time to think...and reflect. In my mind, I looked back on everything that had happened since I had awoken in that accursed forest. One scene quickly started replaying itself over and over again – the scene when I had finally defeated my attackers in the woods.

It was that feeling that came with the light. It just wouldn't leave me alone. _Chakra_ was how the old man – the Hokage – had seemed to refer to it. At least that was the impression I had received.

I had closed my eyes that time in the forest, but now I wanted to see it for myself. What was chakra exactly? How did it work? More questions that I could answer on my own.

Looking at the hands that had been the source of that odd light previously, I knew that I wanted to try to summon it again. But I was hesitating. I wasn't sure what would happen if I attempted to call up that raw feeling once more. Would it be as large a reaction as last time? Would people get hurt?

Slowly, I had let Itachi move more and more ahead of me until there was a full foot between him and me.

Then again, the old man hadn't seemed worried that I had chakra, only that I didn't seem able to control it. The way they had referenced it had made it seem commonplace.

So maybe all I had to do was learn how to control it...

I slowed down some more. Itachi was now at least two feet ahead. I moved another foot to the right so that he wasn't directly in front of me. He glanced back at me one but I just smiled and waved.

His look was sceptical, but he didn't say anything or change his pace. As long as I followed, he didn't care how exactly I got there.

Properly positioned to cause the least amount of damage (we were moving along a relatively empty street with only a few straggling villagers heading towards the market), I moved my gaze down to my hands once more.

Here we go, I decided. This time, I kept my eyes open as I moved my arms up as they had been before.

Nothing.

Well, the feeling had come from the inside me, right? So maybe I had to find it inside again. I tried to focus, tried to find that spot in my chest that I had felt the last time I had activated this chakra, but it was no use.

I couldn't concentrate. I was trying to find this elusive spot while simultaneously keeping pace with Itachi so that I didn't fall too far behind, making sure that I wasn't too close to him, as well as looking out for other possible bystanders.

I growled under my breath. Why wouldn't anything work out for me? This one little thing that was all I was asking. But no. Life had to be a bitch.

As abrupt as my anger, my fisted hands were suddenly giving off multiple scarlet-coloured sparks!

My stunned eyes watched as the lights ceased just as quickly as they had begun. Then my eyes widened in astonishment.

Was that it? Had that been the key all along?

In the forest, I had been afraid for my life and that fear had brought the light to life. Here, I had given way to anger. But the reaction hadn't been nearly as strong as the first.

Maybe the power generated was equivalent the strength of the emotion itself? But then, I had been much more angry or upset before that I had been just now... Perhaps, the combination of the anger and the fact that I had just been focusing on the chakra had caused the sparks to emerge in this case.

I should try again-

"What are you doing?" Itachi demanded.

I looked up and realized that I had stopped in the middle of the street. My epiphany had caused my focus to shift away from following Itachi. As my eyes caught his, I could swear that, just for a moment, they were red. But the moment passes in an instant and they were once again the coal black that was gradually becoming more and more familiar.

"Nothing," I hedged.

That remark received a raised eyebrow.

In response, I just rolled my eyes and resumed walking.

Itachi continued along beside me this time. When I slowed down to gaze at some particularly delicious looking fruit displayed by one of the street vendors, Itachi slowed right along with me. So I gave up my experiments for the time being.

After some minor dawdling on my part, we eventually reached our destination.

Looking up at the tower, it seemed more imposing that it had the last time I had climbed those steps.

For what seemed like the hundredth time already, I sighed in resignation.

Itachi surprised me, however, when we didn't go to the same room as before. Instead, we circled around the main floor until we reached a flight of steps that stretched downwards. Flickering torches lit the windowless stairwell.

As Itachi began to descend into the gloom, I hesitated at the top step. I was essentially being given a piece of jewellery, right? So why on earth did we need to go down into some creepy-ass basement in order for me to get it? What if it was a dungeon down there? Were they going to imprison me where nobody would be able to hear my screams?

Consciously, I knew that these fears were unfounded, but my subconscious continued to bombard me with suspicions and nightmarish imaginings.

My breathing and heart rate increased dramatically. I was beginning to panic.

Itachi paused a few steps down and turned around to discover why I wasn't following. His calm eyes found my frightened ones.

He didn't say a word, but he didn't have to. His following action said enough.

The steady pressure of his hand holding mine was my only source of reassurance as we made our way below ground.

**TBC**


	9. Chapter 8

**A Red Rose  
****Day 4: Afternoon**

It was surprisingly light in the basement under the Hokage Tower.

While the torches had been the only light in the stairwell and hallway, once Itachi and I had entered one of the basement's numerous rooms, I found that half-sized windows had been placed within the upper reaches of the walls. These windows allowed the comforting sunlight to brighten up the otherwise small and dismal space.

Unfortunately, the sunlight was the only thing about it that was comforting and the added light only made those dismal aspects more apparent.

Dark patches were visible on the stone walls where moisture had seeped through and some corners were beginning to show signs of moss. Even the strong, earthy fragrances permeating the air couldn't disguise the metallic scent of iron being given off from the numerous chains bolted to the walls, floor, and ceiling.

A lone table stood in the center of the room, covered with every implementation of torture one could think of. I could only name a few of them but that was more than enough. I didn't want to know how the remaining metal tools could be put to use.

I froze in the doorway. Itachi had already stepped slightly inside but was forced to either stop with me or let go of my hand – which had his in a tight grasp now.

He stopped and frowned as his eyes swept the room. Other than the assorted instruments of torture, it was empty.

"Follow me," he said after only a few seconds, and to my infinite relief, gestured with his free hand towards the doorway which I was still blocking, rather than father into the Torture Room.

"Why did you bring me here if we're just going to leave?" I questioned, as I moved out of his way.

The expression on his face was even more contemplative than usual.

"That was the room that I had been told to meet with Ibiki-san in. Obviously, he wasn't there."

"Oh." _Great._ Ibiki, the interrogator/torturer. Somehow, I was glad he hadn't been there.

"Are we early?" I suggested. "Maybe we should just come back later." _Or never._

"Actually, we are late."

So, why hadn't the resident torturer been in his torture room? And why had he wanted us to meet him there in the first place? Was I going to be 'interrogated' despite the Hokage's promise?

Or, had there been a method to his madness? Had he intended to intimidate me? If so, it had definitely worked. I never wanted to have to go back to that room ever again.

Itachi led me further down the hallway which grew colder as it gradually slanted downward.

Finally, we reached another door from which a light was shining.

Upon entering, it was immediately evident that this room was nearly as bad as the torture chamber. Like its predecessor, the central feature of this room was a table. Unlike it, however, this was a steel medical table on which a patient – or in this case, body – would be placed. Rather than instruments of torture, surgical tools hung from the walls and rested on a smaller table close by its sister table.

Standing over the dead, naked man on the table, were two people whom I had never seen before. The hand of the first was glowing as he used that sharply tuned light to deftly slice open the chest of the corpse. He had a white cap on his head and was completely covered by a white outfit, the red markings of his profession visible on his chest. This one could only be a medic-nin.

The second man was obviously not of the medical profession, though he did look like he knew his way around a corpse. He had on a black bandana that completely covered the top of his head and a nasty-looking scar cut its way across his face. The typical gear that I was beginning to associate with shinobi made up the rest of his ensemble.

This man was standing back, observing as the medical professional worked on the body. A scowl looked to be permanently etched on his face alongside his scar and this expression did not alter one bit as Itachi and I walked in.

Ibiki only glanced at the pair of us once – his eyes briefly pausing on our still intertwined hands – before turning back to the medic-nin, who had paused his work.

"Continue," Ibiki commanded. "I expect a report of the results within the hour."

His fierce stare turned back our way. "Come with me," he said and moved purposefully towards the doorway. Itachi moved one way to avoid the interrogator while I moved the opposite. Ibiki passed between us, forcing me to let go of his hand.

I was conscious of the lack of warmth as we followed Ibiki silently down the deserted corridor.

A few minutes later found us in the torturer's office, which was surprisingly mundane; an immaculate desk, shelves covered with texts and scrolls, a few chairs. Ibiki moved behind his desk and began searching through one of its drawers.

"You weren't in your interrogation room," Itachi began.

Ibiki countered without ceasing his search. "You were late."

I supposed that was partially my fault as I had been the one to hold us up in the streets. Though, Itachi had never told me that we were on a deadline, so he was partly to blame as well. Yup, I'd go with that.

Ibiki finally pulled an object from the confines of his desk. It was a silver bracelet with the symbol for 'track' engraved on it.

"Well, this is what you came here for. Come here, girl." He gestured for me to move closer.

I stepped forward without hesitation. I had already resigned myself to wearing the bracelet. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Taking my arm, the interrogation expert slid the cold metal onto my wrist. It was too large for me and hung loosely.

But Ibiki wasn't done. Still touching the bracelet, he created a few swift signs using the fingers of his free hand. The entire bracelet glowed blue and it shrunk down until the metal fit snugly around my skin. Instinctively, I knew that I would never be able to get it off on my own.

"Now to activate it," Ibiki continued, gesturing towards Itachi.

He stepped forward and placed one hand on the bracelet as the interrogator had done. The symbols that he made, however, were different from the ones which Ibiki had used, and this time, rather than the whole bracelet, only the etched characters shimmered with an internal light.

Initially white, the light swiftly turned red as Itachi completed the hand movements. One the light had faded, he let go and stepped back once again.

"There, it's done. Now get going. I have work to do," Ibiki said, shooing us out the door.

As we exited his office, Ibiki spoke after us. "Oh, and stop by the hospital on your way back. The Third wants her looked over."

Itachi nodded back at him, as silent as ever, and we continued on our way, out of what I would always consider to be the creepy dungeon underneath the Hokage Tower.

Outside and in the sunshine once more, I breathed in the fresh air and the scents of the village with relief. The process had been more elaborate that I had believed it would be, but it had been completed so quickly and efficiently that I hadn't even had a chance to get nervous about it.

Rather, I found myself more curious than anything. How did this bracelet – now bound to my wrist – work exactly? What did those hand symbols mean? To be honest, I had been more afraid as I had followed Itachi down into the unfamiliar, creepy basement earlier. I hadn't known what to expect with this bracelet, but once I had seen the process with my own two eyes, it really wasn't that bad.

As Itachi led me down a street that I hadn't seen yet, I decided that I wouldn't allow myself to panic about this upcoming hospital visit as I had about going underground. After all, a hospital couldn't possibly be worse than a torture chamber. Right?

Itachi was silent beside me as we walked, his expression alert but still contemplative.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, sincerely curious.

He didn't say anything at first and I started to think that he wouldn't answer me, but then he opened his mouth to speak. "The bracelet gives of a constant chakra signal that is tied to mine so that only I may sense it. I am familiarizing myself with that signal in order to better keep track of it when you are not nearby."

My face must have expressed my surprise because Itachi added, "I promised you all the information you desired – and that I have permission to give – once you wore the tracker. And now you do."

He was right. Shockingly, I hadn't even thought of his promise until he had reminded me of it. I suppose I had been distracted by the torture chamber.

"So I can ask anything?"

"Yes, though I can only answer what I am allowed to reveal. There are still some secrets which the village needs to remain secret."

"That's fair," I agreed. "Ok, first off: what is chakra?"

Itachi gave me a curious look. "Chakra resides within every living being. It is the balance of physical and spiritual energy that flows within the body. By manipulating this flow, trained shinobi can mould the energy at will, allowing them to create effects which would not have been possible otherwise."

"Like this bracelet," I said, holding up my wrist. "Ibiki used chakra to make it shrink around my arm and then you also did something to it."

"Exactly," Itachi said, nodding slightly. "I infused my chakra into the metal so that whenever your chakra spikes, it will allow me to sense it through my own chakra."

"How can you sense chakra?"

"It is similar to having a sixth sense," he explained. "Your chakra, in a way, tells you when there is another chakra nearby. The more chakra that is present, the easier it is to sense."

"So that's how you were able to find me when I ran away," I realized. "You could sense my chakra."

He nodded hesitantly, unsure where I was going with this.

"But if everyone has chakra, how could you tell mine apart from someone else's?"

"You chakra is... different from others. Some chakras have unique signatures that separate them from the rest."

Itachi's shoulders had tensed slightly during his reply. I understood why. If I knew how Itachi was tracking me, I could possibly figure out a way to avoid detection. Instead of following this train of thought, however, I shifted direction.

"Can you teach me to control my chakra?"

"You want me to train you?" He seemed surprised.

I blushed. "Well, last night went well... So, I thought we could just continue from there... or something."

"I suppose it couldn't hurt since I won't be assigned any missions anyway," he admitted.

"Great!" I grinned.

Itachi smirked. "You're very eager. I have to warn you, I will not be an easy teacher."

I laughed. "That's fine with me."

Feeling more comfortable that I had since entering Konoha, I resumed questioning Itachi on the workings of the village.

"So, the Hokage is in charge of Konoha, right? Is he, like, the top boss, or something? Or is there somebody who outranks him?"

"The Hokage is the highest official in the village. The Fire Daimyo, of course, leads the Fire Country in which Konoha resides..."

Itachi continued explaining the political structure of the village to me for a large portion of our walk. It was more complicated than I had imagined and a lot of it was lost on me. I learned about the school that trained children to become shinobi and the levels one had to pass through in order to reach the top ranked positions. He briefly touched on ANBU only to mention that it was Konoha's black-ops force but would say nothing more about it.

Itachi explained how the genin team system worked to ensure that the younger shinobi were able gain the skills and experience necessary to graduate to chunin, while still operating under the supervision and protection of an older jonin.

One thing that stood out for me as Itachi was talking was the average number of years that it took for a shinobi to rise to the level of a jonin or, as in Itachi's case, ANBU.

"Well, that explains why all those people were staring at us yesterday." I said, eyeing an old lady sitting on her porch who was watching us with beady eyes. "You must be some kind of prodigy to make it into ANBU so young."

"So they say," he admitted, but I detected some resignation in his tone.

"Are you?" I knew that I was pressuring him, but this was the first time that he had seemed even remotely open to revealing something personal about himself and I wanted to learn everything I could about this mysterious person who had brought me here.

"I am..." he hesitated, "advanced for my age."

"Isn't that the definition of a prodigy?" I teased.

Itachi sent a half-hearted scowl my way and I smirked back at him.

"There are many others who have reached greater heights at much younger ages than I have, those with more natural talent. I am more advanced than others my age because that was what was expected of me." As he spoke, Itachi's voice had grown more and more tense and his expression turned dark.

I sensed that we were edging into dangerous territory and decided to let the subject drop for now. Instead, I shifted the attention to his brother. "What about Sasuke? How is he progressing in his training? Making a lot of friends? I bet he is, the little charmer."

"Sasuke is progressing as a boy his age should, which is less than my father expects of him." There was a clear resentment towards his father in Itachi's tone now. "He doesn't have time for friends because he is constantly training in order to impress our father."

I felt pity for both Sasuke and Itachi. Dealing with such pressure from a parent had to be tough on young children.

I tried to lighten the oppressive mood overhanging us from the mention of Fugaku Uchiha. "Well, I'm glad I'll be learning from the best then," I joked.

Itachi smiled knowingly. "Oh, I won't be teaching you, not right away at least."

"What-"

Itachi interrupted, "We're here."

Looking up, I noticed the massive building sprawled in front of us for the first time.

The hospital was a three-storey building with pink walls, a blue roof and multiple wings and towers. The front entrance was marked with the words 'Konoha Hospital'. The place was busy that late afternoon with multitudes of people streaming in and out through the front entrance.

Itachi led me through the doors and up to the front desk which was being manned by a petite brunet who immediately started fixing her hair when she spotted us.

"Uchiha-san," she greeted as we approached, completely ignoring me. "It's nice to see you again."

Her smile was overly friendly as she leaned closer to Itachi. I felt like gagging at her obvious flirtation.

Itachi simply nodded in reply, either not noticing or not caring about the receptionist's obvious manoeuvres.

"My companion here needs an examination," he said, gesturing to me.

Quickly realizing that she was being brushed off, the brunet turned all business.

"New patient?" she asked sharply.

"Yes," Itachi confirmed.

"Name?"

"Amaya."

She raised a brow. "Surname?"

"Unknown," Itachi answered briskly and his tone prevented her from asking more questions. Wisely, she moved on.

"Just a basic exam or the complete works?"

"The complete works. Including chakra testing and a pathway scan."

The receptionist scribbled something that I couldn't see across her papers.

"A medic-nin will be with you shortly. In the meantime, please have a seat and fill out this form."

She handed me a clipboard with a questionnaire and pen attached, giving me a disapproving once-over as she did so. Then she turned back to Itachi for one last flirtatious smile, but he was already walking away. I caught her scowl at me as I turned to follow and smirked to myself.

We took a seat near the windows and Itachi watched the passersby as I concentrated on filling out the extremely detailed form as best I could.

_Date of birth?_

Unknown.

_Age?_

Approximately 12?

_Known medical illnesses?_

None that I was aware of, but then again, it was always possible.

At least my difficulty with the seemingly simple questions kept me from dwelling on what Itachi had meant by the 'complete works'. I didn't exactly want some strangers poking and prodding at me, but I had also recognized that there was a possibility that I could learn something about myself through this exam. My body could potentially reveal more about myself than my mind could.

I was still struggling to fill questions that I didn't have the answer to when a kind-looking, older man with grey hair walked up to us.

"Good afternoon," he said to both of us.

Turning directly to me, he continued, "My name Santoshi and I'll be overseeing your exam today."

I managed to return his greeting through my nervousness. "I'm Amaya."

He seemed nice enough so I made an effort to relax as he led me into an exam room.

As we were about to enter, Santoshi paused.

"You may wait out here, Uchiha-san," the medic-nin said.

Itachi's reply was curt. "No. I will remain with the girl."

Santoshi frowned, but didn't argue. I figured that he must have realized that Itachi's presence here wasn't personal, but business.

"Very well," he allowed, walking inside ahead of us.

I followed after him, Itachi right behind me. The exam room was very similar to the first room that I had stayed in at the Uchiha compound with its blank, white-washed walls. This space, however, had an exam table, rather than a bed, and medical tools were lined up on a metal tray, ready for use. There was a single chair in the corner which Itachi immediately took.

Santoshi spoke. "Have a seat, Amaya-san."

I hoisted myself up onto the too-tall table. My hands were clammy when I clasped them in front of me.

Santoshi got right to work, picking up various instruments that I didn't recognize and placing them on various spots on my body. One went in my ear, one on my chest, over my heart, another shone a light in my eyes.

Itachi sat patiently through it all and I tried to match his calm composure as Santoshi did his work.

At one point, Santoshi removed the bandage around my arm. Underneath was pale, new skin. Otherwise, there was no sign that I had ever been injured.

Finally, the medic-nin stepped back.

"You seem healthy enough from the basic tests. We'll know more after the chakra tests," he said to me, smiling gently.

He held up his hand and it started glowing with a soft green light.

"Wait," Itachi interrupted.

The light faded as Santoshi lowered his hand. Itachi moved from the chair to stand in front of me.

He reached out, took my hand in his for the second time that day and my heart skipped a beat.

Then his fingers briefly glowed crimson as he touched the band around my wrist. The writing that had remained a crimson colour after Itachi had activated it, turned back to its original black shade.

I was slightly disappointed when Itachi immediately moved back to his chair.

"You can proceed," he said to Santoshi as he reclaimed his seat.

Santoshi, who had been observing silently, resumed his examination. Once again, his hand flared green.

"I am going to send a stream of my own chakra into your chakra pathways. This will allow me to sense if there are any blockages or anything else that may be wrong. It won't hurt. It'll only feel a little weird, like being given a needle."

"Alright," I said, my heartbeat suddenly going a hundred miles an hour.

He reached out and placed his glowing hand on my arm. Suddenly, I could feel his chakra, like something foreign inside me. It felt cold, and strange, and I didn't like it. Instinctively, I knew it shouldn't be there and I wanted it out.

"Stop," I whispered weakly.

Santoshi was frowning. "Just a moment longer," he said. "There seems to be some resistance."

Yes, there was definitely resistance. I could feel what I recognized to be my own chakra rising up from its center in my chest. It was pushing back at Santoshi's chakra which had moved up towards my head.

"You have to relax, Amaya-san." Santoshi's voice was sounded strained. "It's just a test. You don't need to fight it."

Itachi stood and moved toward the table.

"Stop," I said more forcefully. "It's not working so just stop."

It felt like there was a war raging up and down my arm, though my chakra was obviously winning, forcing Santoshi's out bit by bit.

I tried to pull my arm away but couldn't break the medic-nin's gentle, but firm grip.

"Stop!" I cried and at the same time my chakra visibly flared red, abruptly forcing Santoshi's green chakra out completely.

The medic-nin stumbled back from the force of it.

My heart was racing like I had just run a marathon. I jumped off the table to make a beeline for the door. I wanted out. I didn't want to have to go through that experience again.

Itachi stepped in front of me before I could make it to the door. He didn't try to stop me physically or anything, just simply stood in my way.

I stopped.

"Let me see your arm," he demanded.

I hesitated briefly, but gave in. His eyes moved briskly over my arm, taking in the unmarked skin.

Releasing my arm, he turned to Santoshi, who was examining his own hand.

"What happened?"

"She wouldn't let my chakra into her system for the exam," he answered.

"I didn't do it on purpose." I protested.

"Your chakra forced mine out. What else could it have been?" The medic-nin seemed genuinely confused. He didn't know that I had very little control over my own chakra.

"My chakra... It acted on its own," I tried explaining. "I was nervous and... I think it sense that."

Santoshi looked completely baffled while Itachi had his contemplative face on once again.

"Your chakra responded to your nervousness... to your emotions," he said, clarifying.

"That's what it seemed like, yes," I said. I could tell that Itachi was coming to the same conclusion that I had earlier. My chakra was tied into my emotions. Whatever I was feeling, if I felt it strongly enough, my chakra responded in kind.

"Well, at least the test wasn't a complete waste," Santoshi put in.

Itachi and I both turned back to the medic-nin.

"I was only able to brush against it for a second, but it was definitely there, too strong to miss."

I almost didn't want to ask. "What was it?"

There was pity in his eyes as he looked at me.

"There's a block on your mind," he said, "and you were the one who put it there."

**TBC**


End file.
